Keeper of the Day, Lover of the Night
by Eronald
Summary: Two years after the defeat of the World-Eater, the province of Skyrim has entered a period of peace under High Queen Elisif, leaving the Dovahkiin of legend with too much time on his hands and a land that does not need saving. A plot arises to shroud the sun, which the Dovahkiin, with the help of an ancient vampire, must stop. M!Dovahkiin/Serana. Follows the events of Dawnguard
1. A Fresh Taste of Sunlight

_"YOL TOOR SHUUUUUUUUUUL"_

_I dived behind the boulder just in time, the hot jet of fire incinerating the grass to my side. The World-Eater just couldn't give me a break. I was just about ready to call it a night when the damned dragon decided to ambush me on my way to Whiterun._

_I fumbled with the bow on my back, readying it for fire. I exited cover, unleashing arrow after arrow at the vile dragon before me. Naturally, the arrows were barely scraping him, but it was to be expected, given that I was out of quality arrows. Talos knows just how useful iron arrows were to The World Eater. After firing hardly a dozen arrows, I pawed my quiver, finding it empty. Irritated at my decision of not bringing extra arrows, I drew my dragon bone sword and gritted my teeth. I was gonna give Alduin hell before I let him take me and Skyrim._

_Alduin executed an abrupt dive, opening his massive jaws to swallow me whole. As the Bringer of the End himself swooped a little too close for comfort, I dished out my own shout of unrelenting force, causing Alduin to swerve unsteadily in his dive. The shout knocked the dragon off balance, causing him to knock off a good chunk of rock from a nearby cliff side. Alduin regained his composure after a moment and launched himself in my direction once again, mouth agape._

_I swung upward and knew I landed a good strike. Blood erupted from the wound, the viscous dark-red liquid coating my arm and parts of my face. Alduin's head recoiled slightly from the attack. I had to guess that Alduin had enough of fun and games. Alduin changed the direction if his flight, moving so fast it was like he was nothing but a great black blur. And he was charging at me again at an alarming speed, maw ready to unleash hell. And this time I wasn't close enough to make it to cover._

_The massive darkness in the World-Eater's mouth was illuminated by a great magical flame, ready to singe me alive. And this time all I could do was turn my head to the side as Alduin gave me a taste of his Thu'um._

_"YOL TOOR SHUU-"_

I awoke with a start, my eyes snapping open as I sat up so fast I felt nauseous. I looked around, confirming my whereabouts. I turned and lowered my feet to the ground and lazily stuck them into my fur boots. I took a moment to lower my head into my hands and rub my tired face. I could sleep for days at a time and I wouldn't ever look any less weary. The lines etched into my face were there to stay, the years of stress and hardship had taken a toll on me after all. The large burn scar down the side of my face was just more evidence of said hardships.

Despite being cured of my beast-blood, I still suffered from restless nights. Some nights I would wake up in cold sweat and be unable to simply go back to sleep. Other times I would have dreams about the past troubles I experienced; then I would wake up feeling like I hadn't slept in years. I assumed that my beast-blood was only partially to blame for my lack of rest. The life I lived was not one that left you sleeping easy at night, after all. Even years after everything transpired, I'd still recall all my failures, and all my victories. Some things in life you really don't forget just like that.

I pushed myself off of the bed and approached the closet. I swung it open and took my everyday clothes out, ignoring the dragon scale armor on the mannequin next to the closet. I haven't put the armor on for at least two years, since the defeat of Alduin. After the end of the World-Eater, it seemed that Skyrim had no more need for a hero. I had done all I could do

The Dark Brotherhood was back on its feet, and the Night Mother began speaking to none another than Nazir, much to my surprise. Aela was doing a good job at keeping the Companions in order. The College of Winterhold seemed to have moved a new archmage into power in my time of absence when dealing with Alduin. Brynjolf became the new master of the Thieves' Guild and the band of thieves was as lucky as ever. The jarls had plenty young adventurers to step up to become new thanes. The Empire won the civil war, and I delivered the killing blow to Ulfric. The remaining Stormcloaks were stamped out, hold after hold. They didn't need their Legate in this time of peace. The Blades and I were on bad terms after our last meeting, and I still had no intentions of giving in to their demands for Paarthurnax's head.

I spent months quietly readying myself to slay Alduin, and when I did fell the beast in Sovngarde, I returned to Nirn, to Skyrim. I returned unneeded. It was just to show how easily it is you could become obsolete to the masses. I hadn't even seen a single dragon since my return to Skyrim. It was as if they all went into hiding when they heard of Alduin's defeat.

How many people knew of the death of the World-Eater? All they knew was I was Dragonborn, slayer of dragons, hero of the people. The Dragonborn that disappeared for months. And just like that it was like I lost my purpose. I had nothing to get me out of bed in the morning. No reason to leave my home and help others. There were no dragons that needed slaying. No more bandits that terrorized the towns.

I suppose it is just a deep bitterness that resides in my heart. But the bitterness ate away at me until I was just a man angry at everything around him for his land leaving rendering him unneeded. I suppose maybe life is just unfair like that. When all you're good at is killing, and Skyrim rises to a period of peace under High Queen Elisif the Fair, there is little you can really do. You'd think being Dragonborn would help me regain my high stature around the province. But I was now regarded as little more than a has been. Why need the Dragonborn when there were no dragons assaulting the holds?

My period of absence from all the factions I led caused the lack of fate in me. Which is why Brynjolf was running the guild. Why Aela became Harbinger. Why 'mother' found a new Listener. Why Tullius had no use for me. Why a new archmage was moved into the seat of the college. And the list goes on.

And I sure as hell wasn't going back to the damned Bard's College for something to do.

There was a time in this period of inactivity wherein I thought it would be the right time for me to find a woman and settle down. I did this for a month or two before giving up the fruitless search for a suitable bride. There was nobody in Skyrim that had that appeal to her. And whenever I got close to a possible candidate, some major flaw would be revealed that would turn me away from her completely. And so I took to wasting away at home for years, doing nothing but sleep, eat and train myself harder with my weapons. To shoot straighter, to swing faster, and to basically fight better.

It was years since the last time I stepped out of Breezehome, and I would not be surprised if Skyrim thought their past hero dead by now. That is, if they thought about me at all nowadays. Although my death would not come as a great surprise, considering the dangerous life I lived.

When I closed the closet, I couldn't help but spare a glance at the magnificent, finely crafted armor. The left side displayed large scorch marks running down the shoulder to the thigh, acting as a memoir of one of my deadliest encounters with Alduin. Before I could dwell any longer, I turned away from the armor and went for the bedroom door, slipping on the simple green tunic and brown trousers before exiting. Once out of the room, I made my way to the dining room and bar.

The Argonian bartender bid me good day, bringing to my attention the fact that it was already midday. I pulled up a stool and rested my arms on the counter, ordering some venison before the Argonian could speak.

"Actually, master... We are out of fresh meat. The couriers are late for the usual drop offs and we, your servants, aren't allowed to leave your home. If you could pick some up at the market, it would be much appreciated and I will prepare your food at once" The Argonian casually wiped the counter as he spoke.

I grunted slightly in irritation but got off the stool without further complain. "I'll get the meat" I muttered as I stomped off to the ground floor. I passed by my trophy room on the way out. The long table was filled with tokens I had earned throughout the years, ranging from amulets to swords. I grabbed my preferred dagger from the display rack next to the table. Can't be too careful. The Blade of Woe. A weapon received from a person I held dear to me before her untimely death. I sheathed it and went for the exit, not wishing to dwell on my fallen comrade.

I decided to pay Carlotta a visit. I remembered her fresh meat and vegetables never failing to fill the stomach. I approached the front door, passing by a mirror as I did. The passing view of myself caused me to take a few steps back. My hair had grown to just above my shoulders and was parted slightly. My beard has grown and was rather long at this point, only a few scars preventing the growth of facial hair. There was a burn down the side of my pale face, a mark from the Devourer of Worlds that would never part with me. Some would say my golden eyes were always my most striking feature, drawing attention away from the many scars that marred my face.

I made my way to the door and struggled ever so slightly to open the door. The light blinded my vision and I could almost hear Alduin shouting the words that would scorch my face. Was it really that long since I was out in the sun?

I slowly stepped out from behind the door, letting the sun soak me in its rays, making me feel more alive again. Ysolda walked down the street, a basket of flowers in her hands and a surprised smile on her face when she saw me. I could guess she is one of those that assumed I simply died during my absence, hence the slight surprise on her face.

"Mikhael.." Ysolda said as she stopped walking. Her welcoming smile was a pleasant turn of events, and so I returned it with enthusiasm.

She took a step in my direction before her head snapped to the direction of the main gate. I mimicked the movement to see five men clad in strange armor appearing as if from thin air. My hand instinctively went to the my dagger, but I didn't draw it just yet. My fingers curled tightly against the hilt.

Two people who had been just leaning against the posts of Warmaiden's suddenly snapped into action, the speed of their reaction rather impressive. One was an Orc. He drew a strange weapon, very alien to me, and pulled a mechanism of sorts. With that, an arrow like projectile shot out at startling speed, embedding itself into the eyes of one of the spellcasters. The others suddenly drew weapons, while their free hands glowed an eerie red.

The sudden movement caused one Dunmer's hood to slip off. I then got a good look at his features. His nose looked like it was being tugged upwards, he bared sharp teeth and his eyes reflected light in the most unnatural way, glowing a fierce orange. Not to mention his face was quickly paling as the sun's rays engulfed him.

A vampire attack? Since when were vampires so bold as to attack in broad daylight in a hold capital? Who are the two men with the strange weapons? I had half a mind to simply back away and guide Ysolda to safety. Within moments I decided to do just that. I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and began to make her turn and leave.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" This vampire was a large Nord, wearing the same armor as the rest. He had a large war axe in one hand and that eerie glow in his other. I shoved Ysolda out of harm's way and drew the dagger, holding it in a reverse grip.

The vampire stuck his left hand out, casting a spell. I braced myself for the impact, expecting a fire ball to scorch my face. Instead, I felt my heart quicken and my brain pound. I felt my breathing shake and my airway tighten. My throat dried at an alarming rate and my vision blurred. It was as if I was having a stroke or something. Some force gripped my life in its hands and was squeezing it. I felt my muscles tense and constrict, and knew I had to act soon.

I slashed with my dagger before the spell could take any more out of me. My attack cut his arm deep, the leather armor doing little to stop the incredibly sharp blade, and he recoiled, inhaling sharply. I didn't let him follow up with an attack. I dealt a kick to his armed hand, causing him to drop the axe. Defenseless now, his eyes widened, clearly not expecting a random civilian to draw a weapon and fight back. I lunged, aiming for the heart and easily plunging the Blade of Woe into my target, feeling my heart rate even out, my breathing steady, and my head stop pounding, the blade working its wonders.

I ripped the dagger free, coating my tunic in blood as the vampire's cadaver fell ground. The two men were dealing with several men dressed in simple armor that you'd find on any common bandit. Simple thralls by the looks of it. The three remaining vampires stalked towards me, eyes screaming murder.

I gritted my teeth and clenched the blade tighter in my hand. One vanished on the spot. He probably used some damned vampiric power to sneak up on me while I dealt with the others. The two remaining vampires were both armed with simple iron swords, but one was wielding both, while the other kept his hand free, ready to cast a vampiric drain on me.

The first attacked, using his spell to weaken me and give his companion an opening. The second vampire struck, both swords raised high. I spun a circle around him, cutting his side as I went. He clutched his side and grunted. The first one seemed agitated by this, as he then charged me with his sword. I shakily deflected the blow and let it slide off my blade. I fired a quick spark with my free hand, catching him off guard and causing him to stumble backwards.

The dual wielder, now recovered, struck again, one sword aiming to stab, the other raised to slash at me. I easily sidestepped the clumsy stab and grabbed his hand, my vise-like grip ripping the sword free from him. His second sword came swinging down to lop me in half from shoulder to hip. I blocked it with my dagger and kicked him in the gut, turning just in time to see his companion coming at me, sword high. I parried with the sword in my left, letting him take several unbalanced strides past me as our blades were freed from each other.

He bumped into his companion and I took the opportunity to plunge the sword into his back, eliciting a cry of pain. It wasn't good enough though. He turned around, sword still sticking out of his back and I was forced to stab him through the chest twice with the Blade of Woe. The bloodsucker dropped, the second strike going in too deep and the blade sticking out of his chest.

With a flash, the third vampire appeared somewhere behind me. Quick as lightning, I spun around to see the vampire, mouth agape to dig its fangs into my flesh. I grabbed his head and roughly snapped his neck in one motion. Although this would have killed a simple mortal, the vampire was simply disabled to some degree, his head hanging limply. I quickly yanked my dagger free from the dead vampire and used it to cut at the vampire's throat. It fell without further difficulty.

The last vampire now stood up, sword at his side, a crazy look in his eyes. His hand snapped in the direction of the three fallen vampires. The corpses then proceeded to twitch wildly and levitate until they stood on their feet without magical assistance. The reanimated corpses drew their weapons. My foes slowly approached me, growling menacingly and bearing their long fangs, hissing like rabid animals. I took a step back and took a moment to prepare my dragon tongue that lay dormant for years. The Thu'um I prepared myself to use was one that was as destructive to me as it had been to many of my foes.

"YOL TOOR SHUUUUUUUUUL"

Fire spewed from my mouth and the ferocious bellowing of the dragon within could be heard as I reduced my adversaries to ashes with the powerful jet of concentrated fire. Within seconds, it was over and the two unfamiliar men approached me as the dust settled around us. I belatedly realized that their armor was also new to me.

"You handle yourself against these things well, friend. The organization I work for could use someone like you" The Orc's gruff voice addressed me.

"Organization you say?"

"I work with The Dawnguard, a group of seasoned vampire hunters that live to protect Skyrim from the bloodsuckers" The Orc grinned as he saw the thoughtful look on my face.

Looks like I just found a new purpose.

"Killing vampires? Where do I sign up?"

_A/N: So, that's the first chapter, or first oneshot if you will. I just want to make a note of how the Dragonborn feels. Those who have finished all the faction quests and side quests and then finished the main quest (or even if not in that order) will probably relate to this Dragonborn. When all's been finished it's like there's nothing left to do in Skyrim. That's the mood I was going for with this Dragonborn, because I know that's how I felt when I completed the faction and main quests. AND that's how I felt when I finally got Dawnguard, PS3 players I'm sure you felt overjoyed when it arrived. When I started Dawnguard with my original character I felt like I had a reason to play again (Other than randomly staging wars using the console commands)_

_The rest of this fic will be oneshots set in different parts of Dawnguard in chronological order, where things don't happen _right_ after the other. Thanks for reading, and be sure to drop a review on your way out and tell me what you think. If you're a Dark Brotherhood, be sure to check out my other story :)_


	2. Dimhollow Crypt

Dimhollow Crypt. I entered the dank dungeon, expecting nothing quite out of the ordinary. A few vampires. A few weird, demonic mutts. Nothing I wasn't prepared for. Isran, Dawnguard's leader had told me the vampires were searching for some kind of artifact here that was of some great value. I was to go to the Crypt, intercept the vampires, destroy the artifact. Simplicity in itself, Isran said. I scratched my beard as I came upon a large area, with circles engraved in the ground, with braziers scattered around some of the lines. In the center was a button of sorts.

I never pictured myself as a vampire hunter. Gods, I never even imagined myself leaving my home after I slew Alduin and Skyrim lost need of me. But here I was, walking around a dark dungeon to stop a vampire uprising. Seems I finally found a purpose again. Something that tells me, I'm doing something important and I'm safeguarding the future of Tamriel from the clutches of the creatures of the night. The other Dawnguard soldiers were very enthusiastic when talking about the whole vampire hunter concept.

But they did have a point. I have to admit this is better than simply wasting away at home without a care in the world.

Lately the vampires were much bolder. Apparently, they had been for a month or so now, and I left Breezehome in time to witness this newfound boldness. Isran believed the artifact had something to do with their daring attacks in broad daylight. He said that there was something big going on or that would go on soon. The man felt it and I felt it too when he explained the situation at hand. Isran said this mission I was on was of the utmost importance, and could very well tip the scales in our favor depending on the outcome. Why it is he sent a man he barely knows, and was just recruited, why he sent _me_, I have no idea.

There were several vampires and thralls down by the button like device. It seemed like they were trying to get it to work. Whatever the artifact is, I could only assume that it was here. A place as big as this isn't just left empty.

I prepared the weapon that Durak, the Orc that introduced me to The Dawnguard, gave me. It was called a crossbow. When I pulled this trigger, it would fire a bolt at high speeds. _Nothing better for killing vampires_, he told me.

I slowly crept a little closer before standing and leaning against one of the pillars to assure my aim was steady. I aimed at one of the vampires kicking the stand in the center of room. Judging my his bleeding hand, he already tried to simply press the button, and was wounded for his effort. This caused me to pause for a moment. I assumed as much, that it was a blood seal of sorts. The button would injure or cut the person pressing it, and the blood that would coat the stand would activate some kind of mechanism and this leads to that, and the artifact would appear. Whether from the ground of from the ceiling I have no idea.

But why didn't it work for the vampire who pressed the button? Did they need pure blood? Blood untainted by vampirism? If that was the case then I'd have to suck it up and take the pain. But first I had to deal with the bloodsuckers in the immediate area.

Pulling the trigger, the bolt shot out at startling speeds, easily lodging itself in the vampire's temple. He dropped without protest and all the others in the area turned to look at him. Then they turned to my general direction, the loud snap of the crossbow always gives one's position away, which is why it is good for the first strike. But thankfully I was hidden well in the shadows, and even with their vampiric powers enhancing their vision, I was still next to impossible to spot. Even vampires couldn't see into pitch black shadows.

I used this to my advantage and easily snuck over to another pillar closer to the flank of the vampires. They were focused on my last known position and were slowly advancing towards it. I heard one of the other vampires bark an order at his thralls and point to the shadows. The thralls charged into the shadowy area, hoping to catch their attacker by surprise. But I was nowhere to be found and the thralls returned empty handed, causing their master to growl in irritation.

There was one thrall that hung slightly back and I quickly laid out a plan of action in my mind. I would have to be fast for it to work, and just a little bit lucky. I just hoped Nocturnal was still fond of me. I quickly and as quietly as possible loaded another bolt into the crossbow and transferred it to my left hand. I then drew my Blade of Woe with my right and stepped out from behind the thrall.

I struck fast, placing the Blade of Woe to the thrall's neck, causing him to stiffen and stop moving. I let out a loud, high whistle, causing them to spin around to face me. On cue, I pulled the trigger, catching another thrall in the eye. The lead vampire's hand struck out and an ice spike impaled itself into my human shield, who screamed in pain. I lowered my head for extra cover and fumbled with the crossbow, loading another bolt and resetting the string.

By the time I raised my head again, the thrall in my grip took three more spikes to the midsection, and was bleeding profusely. I dropped the thrall, allowing him to bleed out on the ground. A vampire fledgling charged, dagger high. I easily sidestepped the novice's attacked and jabbed my blade into her side as she went. I twisted the blade before yanking it out, being sure to inflict deep internal damage as I did. She stumbled and clutched her side, which squirted blood.

I grabbed the back of her robes and yanked her in my direction, quickly using her to shield an incoming ice spike. The leader of the vampires, now furious, struck with surprising speed and strength. He lunged forward, grabbing for me, instead grabbing hold of the fledgling in my grip. My eyes widened when he simply tore her head from her shoulders. Because he just saw her as an obstacle. He was cold. He would kill to achieve his goal and it didn't matter who he killed. All that mattered was pleasing whoever it was he served. The display of vampiric strength and brutality stunned me for a moment, which is what he was probably hoping for.

He grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground. My vision turned red and I knew he was draining me. I shook in his grip and tried to stab with my right, but he simply grabbed my wrist with his free hand and snarled at me.

"You will not live to see tomorrow, mortal" The vampire growled, his breath smelling of blood. I didn't give him a chance to damage my windpipe further. I pulled the crossbow's trigger, firing a bolt into his knee, causing him to drop me and let out a bloodcurdling cry of pain. I felt flat on my hindquarters and crawled backwards as quickly as I could, reloading the crossbow as I did.

I got to my feet in time to watch the vampire take the bolt in his knee and rip it out. He gave me a feral hiss and bared his fangs and flexed his claws, which weren't that long but were still rather sharp. The marks on my neck were evidence enough.

He lunged again with arms spread wide. I spun to his right, slashing his side and smacking him on the head with the crossbow. He stumbled but quickly regained his footing in time to give me a death glare. A lesser man would have probably shit himself on the spot, but alas, I was no lesser man.

The vampire ran at me again, determined to end me right then and there. I decided to meet him head on. I took several strides forward and struck with my dagger catching him square in the chest and jamming the blade in hilt deep. He dropped to his knees as he went past me, but got back up and spun to face me again. I fired another bolt at him, landing the shot in his unbeating heart. The way the vampire grinned, blood all over his face, dagger in wedged into his chest, as he ripped the bolt out of his chest, was, for lack of better word, unsettling. He took a few steps towards me before I decided to kill him before it got any more out of hand.

With a powerful swing with my left hand, I smacked him hard across the face with the crossbow; the blow was powerful enough to cause him to spin around. Licking my lips, I inhaled.

"FUS RO DAH"

I sent the vampire sailing across the room. He slammed into one of the great pillars, the jarring impact causing me to cringe slightly, as the sound of bone shattering filled the air. The Blade of Woe in his chest was effectively pushed even deeper into his chest to the point of nearly exiting through his back. It would need a thorough cleaning when I got to Fort Dawnguard. When the vampire moved no longer, I approached to retrieve my blade.

I yanked the blade free with slight difficulty and looked at the cadaver before me with disgust. He simply tore her head off like it was a plaything. They were allies and he just killed her. That's what bugged me the most about my slain foe. Is that what happens to vampires who wield power like a sword? All that matters is power? Power takes precedence, forget about how the power is gained or maintained?

_There are humans that are hardly any better_

I frowned at my train of thought and decided to take my mind off it. I instead turned my attention to the button at the center of the room.

I approached the button and stared at it. There was already blood on the button and its stand, blood from the first vampire I killed. Deciding there was no other choice, I decided to get it over with. I placed my hand on the button. Pain seared through my hand as a spike impaled my hand, easily tearing through the dragon scale gauntlet I wore. I dropped to a knee, gripping my impaled hand. It left as quickly as it came. My blood coated the button and the stand and I quickly withdrew my hand. I shook it vigorously and took a good look at it. Amazingly, my skin was sealing itself and the wound stopped throbbing within seconds. My armor was left damaged, however. What magic was...

Before I could be amazed any longer, the ground violently shook and a ring of purple fire erupted from the circle I stood in. But it didn't burn at all. In fact it gave a rather cooling sensation. I observed the positions of the braziers and the circles on the ground before I decided to get moving. It didn't take long for me to push the braziers to the right positions and get all the flames up. The reaction was instant, a large stone monolith ejected itself from the center circle. The fires died down and the dungeon was quiet once again.

I approached the strange stone cautiously, one hand on the dagger in its sheath. I identified an opening of sorts and reached for it. Before my fingers could graze the surface, the stone slid down, revealing a woman.

She was rather pale. By her features, I guessed she was a Nord. Her clothes looked like they were from eras ago. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face was turned to the right. Her eyes were closed, like she had simply been sleeping before the monolith opened. How long was this woman in here? Is she what or who the vampires were looking for? Is that an _Elder Scroll_ on her back? My eyes couldn't be deceiving me. I've held a scroll in my hands before and that on her back, that long, ornate scroll on her back. _That_ has got to be another Elder Scroll. What's she doing with an Elder Scroll?

After a few tense seconds, she slowly fell forward and her eyes snapped open. They glowed a deep shade of orange. Her eyes burned brightly like a great forest fire, but they lacked the rage and destruction carried by such a force. Instead her eyes gave an impression of kindness and curiosity. Instinct sent me forward, and I snapped forward to gently grab the mysterious woman. The woman looked up at me, a puzzled expression on her face. It was now that I got a good look of her face.

To say that woman in my arms was beautiful was like saying that Isran mildly disliked the company of vampires. Or to say that most Nords in Skyrim hate the Thalmor. Before the situation got awkward, I got her back on her feet and she gave me a brief grateful smile.

"Where's... Who sent you?" She frowned slightly as she spoke, trying to grab for the right words.

"Who were you expecting?"

The woman paused for a moment, looking unsure as to how she should answer my question. Her brow furrowed in thought, and I subconsciously mirrored her expression; she was trying to hide something.

"Someone... Like me, at least" She gestured to herself as she said this, hoping I could put two and two together.

Pale skin, fiery glowing orange eyes, fangs that she seemed to be trying not to openly flash whenever she spoke. She's one of the beings I pledged to destroy. Isran would want me to take my blade and put it through her unbeating heart before she could utter another word. But I was not a damned automated Dwemer machine incapable of thought. Something about her told me not to strike, not to do anything rash. So I let her speak, not because of what she was, but because of what I felt.

"A vampire" I muttered under my breath.

"Yeah..." She trailed off, sensing the slight distaste in my voice as I said it.

I decided not to inform her of my affiliation to Skyrim's little group of vampire hunters, since that would probably make things worse. Instead, I asked her why she was locked away in this tomb. A light frown found its way to her face once again and she bit her lip; I suppose it's a thinking habit.

"That's... complicated. And I'm not entirely sure if I can trust you." The woman smirked as she spoke, amused at the frustration I was having at the lack of clear answers. A thoughtful look crossed her face and she continued.

"But if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family's home" She tilted her head, an innocent look playing on her face. The lost daughter trying to get back home. There's got to be more to it than this. A story in exchange for an escort home. Isran would want me to bring her home so I could slaughter every last vampire. Personally, I wanted to see her home to know the story, no strings attached, but if reconnaissance for Isran, no bloodshed, was a plus to escorting this beauty home, then why not?

"Where do you need to go?" I offered a friendly smile. A smile graced her lips so fast that you'd have missed it if you blinked.

"My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do" Her brow furrowed again in thought of her home.

"By the way... My name is Serana. Good to meet you." Serana. I repeated it quietly. A beautiful name to match a beautiful face I suppose. It makes one wonder if there's a beautiful personality to match.

I shook my head slightly to clear my mind from that line of thinking. Had to think of business for the moment.

"That's an Elder Scroll" It wasn't a question, and she knew it.

"It is, and it's mine" She said, her tone defensive in the slightest.

"Why do you have an Elder Scroll?

"It's... Complicated. I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry." The expression she wore was telling me to wait until we got her home so she might then be able to give me more details and stop being so secretive. I took a look at our surroundings, where I came from, and where I believed the exit to be. I gave her a slight nod and began walking.

"How long were you in there?" I asked. There was another pause and the air was still for a moment until I turned to her and found Serana to be thinking hard about my question.

"I'm not sure... It feels like a long time. Who's Skyrim's High King?"

"The Empire has put High _Queen_ Elisif on the throne" My response was greeted with another confused frown as the vampire scratched her head.

"I've never heard of... Wait. What Empire?" Serana's genuine cluelessness caused me to stop.

"The Empire... From Cyrodiil?"

"Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire? I must have been in there longer than I thought." She massaged her temples and growled quietly in frustration. "Look let's just get back to my family. We can try and start figuring things out when we get there"

I nodded, leading the way towards the exit once again.

"I almost forgot, what should I call you?" She asked, walking faster to keep up with my pace.

"'My wonderful savior' sounds nice" I grinned at her, causing her to playfully slap my arm as she laughed.

"Mikhael. Call me Mikhael."

"Mikhael... Doesn't sound very Nordic, does it?" She smirked. I imagined that this was her way of asking me to tell her of my heritage, but she won't get it so easily.

"That, Serana, is a story for another day." I just hope that we'll have enough days for me to share it. Serana seemed to understand the subtle, unspoken afterthought, which is why she gave me a smile that seemed reassuring in nature. After all, who says we'll part ways forever after I bring her back to her family?

_Isran. Would he really let me enjoy the vampire's company for long? Would he stand for one of his hunters playing nice with a vampire?_

I silenced the little voice in the back of my head and decided to stay positive. Getting to know a vampire would be good for the cause. And I'd prove it to the Redguard. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? Although I sincerely hope that Serana wasn't going to become an enemy any time soon. Or ever, for that matter.

_You just joined them and you're already disregarding their orders in favor of helping some vampire get home? Shame._

I frowned slightly. No. There was going to be some good that would come out of this escort home. I felt it in my gut. This was a good thing in the long run. Good for me and good for Skyrim. I knew it. I knew it like I knew something was wrong when I entered the province before I got caught in the Imperial ambush. Knew it like I knew Ancano was up to no good. I had to trust my gut. Isran wouldn't like it. Of course he wouldn't. But in the end when all's been said and done, he'd be glad I made the decisions I did. Things just needed to unfold themselves.

The sound of stone exploding caught my attention and I turned to see a pair of gargoyles stalking towards us.

"Let's see who can kill more of these things" And with that, Serana dived into combat, not waiting for my response. After a barrage of ice spikes and a whirlwind of slashes and stabs, both gargoyles dropped, and Serana barely broke a sweat. I was left rather dumbfounded, sword limp in hand, mouth agape, staring at Serana. She nonchalantly inspected her dagger for any nicks or damages, both stony beasts dead at her feet.

"Come on, it isn't fun if I'm the only one playing" She said, a cute fake pout on her features. I grinned, tightened the grip on my sword, and rushed to join my new companion as several skeletons rose to combat us. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. Maybe I'd even make a new _companion_ out of her in the long run.

_But you don't want a simple companion following you into battle. You want more. You want her._

My thoughts as I drove my sword into the ribs of a skeleton prevented me from noticing the other man of bones sneaking up behind me. This was brought to attention when an ice spike whizzed past my ear and into the skeleton's face, effectively killing it. I looked up to see Serana, hand glowing a cold blue, a proud smirk on her features.

"You owe me one" Serana said, her sing-song voice as playful as ever. A skeleton appeared behind her and it was my turn to save her. I drew a knife from the sheath I kept in my armor and with a flick of the wrist, I sent it flying straight into the skeleton's eye. It dropped with a grunt of pain, and Serana spun around to see her dying assailant.

"Not anymore, I don't" I shot her a cheeky grin which she returned.

Serana easily cleaved through the remaining skeletons and was already making her way to the exit. I found myself standing in place, watching her retreating figure, and for a moment, I was just glad I found The Dawnguard. Glad that Isran sent me to go find the "artifact". Glad that I met her. This strange vampire hibernating for thousands of years, as gorgeous as she was deadly in battle. Serana. I belatedly realized she stopped walking when she noticed me lagging behind and was now speaking to me.

"Hello? Mikhael? Come on, time's a wasting" She beckoned for me to join her and I happily obliged, picking up my pace to catch up with her.

I was warming up to her just nicely.

_A/N: Hey there, folks. So this is chapter two. First of all I'd like to apologize for several minor typos I found in the previous chapter. And a very embarrassing typo in the title itself. Ehe. I guess that's what I get for writing and uploading late into the night._

_Anyways, minor clarification in my previous author's note. The oneshots ARE set after the other, but not necessarily directly. Half a quest could have gone by and not be portrayed here, although it may be mentioned._

_If you folks enjoyed the action the past few chapters then I'll have to apologize as early as now, because there probably won't be action until later into the story. Though I may include snippets of action in the form of Mikhael recalling battles and such that were not shown in the story. The story leans towards showing the building trust and relationship and whatnot between the Dragonborn and Serana, so bear with me. I'm not the best at romance and the like, but I think I managed to pull it off well so far. Tell me what y'all think._

_And of course, the reviews are much appreciated, and encourage me to write more. ^_^ So be sure to leave one when you finish reading. *And feel free to point out a typo I may have missed, it would be much appreciated*_


	3. The End of the Escort

The boat was conveniently placed, just waiting for someone to take it and go to that little island where Serana lived. The boat almost seemed somewhat enchanted. When Serana sat onboard and I pushed it into the water and boarded, it kept going on and on towards the island. Nobody was rowing or paddling or anything, it was just moving by itself at a decent pace towards the island.

The journey to her home was long and tedious, but bearable. I guess it was her that made it bearable. Normally, I would have travelled to the closest hold and just taken a carriage to Solitude, then walk from there. Walking… Divines, I miss Shadowmere. The undead horse dissolved into a black, sticky pile of goo when she died. She was probably in the Void with the Dread Father. I tried returning to the bubbling pit of water where Astrid gave her to me, but the undead mare was nowhere to be found. I imagined that Shadowmere was angry with me for getting her killed, and refused to return to the realm of the living. Ever since then, I stuck to carriages and walking.

With Serana by my side, however, I didn't want to risk getting a carriage. If it wasn't the pale skin, eras-old clothing, glowing eyes, or fangs that would give her away, it would be the way she stared at mortals. She even seemed to eye me with a certain hunger in her eyes at one point or another. But her self control was almost admirable, as she hasn't bitten me or politely asked for some blood.

I also had to travel by night, for her sake, even after giving her a hood following her nearly collapsing. By the time we got out of Dimhollow Crypt, the sun was up, and after just an hour of walking, Serana looked ready to drop. Not drinking blood for thousands of years made her weaker to the sun than even she thought possible. I regretted continuing our journey while the sun was up right after we got out.

_It was midday, and the sun was pounding down on us with all its might and I grew concerned for my companion who was uncharacteristically quiet. Though I suppose being a vampire in the sun would really silence you. She was lagging a few meters back, and I only noticed now. Her lips were parted and I could hear her soft pants as she sluggishly dragged her legs along the ground._

"_Serana?" My concerned voice pierced the hours-long silence. Serana didn't respond and instead continued dragging her legs in an attempt to reach me. She slowly walked past me as if she didn't hear me at all, and my worry for her only deepened. The sound alone of her feet shuffling on the dirt road was unsettling. I took a few steps forward and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder._

"_Are you alright?" I gently turned her to face me._

_Serana squinted at me and replied through ragged pants, "Mikhael… I really need some shade soon." The vampire was breathless and I had half a mind to offer her some of my blood simply so she wouldn't pass out on the spot. The pained expression on her face was getting to me, and I could almost feel the burn she felt. Immediately, I scanned the nearby area for a place we could stop and rest. It didn't take me long to find a rock formation that would offer good enough shelter from the sun._

"_Alright, let's take a break and continue at night, okay? We can take cover by that small rock formation over there. How does that sound?" I turned to face her after locating the rocks. Serana looked like she was trying to give me a smile of gratitude but even that seemed difficult for her. Should I carry her there so we can get her out of the sun faster? Would she mind if I did? When Serana moved at her slow, struggling pace once again, I decided to give her a hand._

_Without warning, I quickly scooped Serana up in my arms, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the burning vampire. I moved as fast as I could and carried her to the rock formation. I set her down gently so she leaned against the rocks and then eased into the spot next to her, being sure to leave some breathing room as I did. We sat in relative silence for a few minutes, with the only sound being Serana's heavy breathing. And just like that she fell back to sleep. Or she lost consciousness. It was probably the latter. Part of me was tempted to cut my arm and let the blood dribble down her throat, the other part was more rational, saying she just needed some rest to recover from the sun._

_I decided to be calm about things. Instead of feeding her my blood as she rested, I took my helmet off and got as comfortable as possible against the rocks. It would be hours until nightfall and until it would be safe for her to travel again._

_I could imagine Isran yelling at me for my course of action. First of all, she should be bound and gagged. Secondly, I should be travelling on a horse with her tied to said horse, during the day. That way she really can't fight back! Ah, but she wasn't my prisoner of war. She was my… She was my companion. I was taking her home. Not taking her prisoner in the name of The Dawnguard. Not wishing to dwell on the battle between my gut and my mind, with the former saying my decision was right, and the latter saying I should take her to Isran, I decided it was time to get some rest. If someone wished us harm, I would wake before any damage could be done. It would be a pleasant turn of events if I'd even be able to get some rest with the remnants of the beast blood in my system._

The first thing I saw when I woke up was Serana's face up close as she shook me. She told me she woke not long ago after the sun set and woke me shortly after. After fully waking up, I realized something that might aid Serana in our travels. I opened the leather bag I kept. It was stuffed with potions, poisons, letters, notes, and other essentials for when travelling.

She actually made a joke or two about my bag because the leather looked so out of place in contrast to the dragon scale armor I wore. She recommended I put together a dragon scale bag to carry my belongings. The concept of something being made of a dragon's scales seemed to come as a slight shock to her at first but she seemed like she could wait for an explanation as to how I obtained the scales for my armor. And the confirmation that there were indeed dragons roaming the land of Skyrim. Though… The dragons were currently in hiding after Alduin's fall.

After a moment of rifling through the bag, I produced a leather hood and handed it to Serana. She eyed it suspiciously for a moment, as if it would tighten around her head and pop it like a melon if she wore it. I explained that if we had to travel by day, it wouldn't be as hard on her as it would be without the hood.

Before we left the rock formation, she grabbed my arm and I came to a halt. She thanked me for the hood and for waiting until night before travelling again. She said it shyly, and the appreciation on her face caused me to grin widely and reply that it was no big deal. With that, we got walking at a decent pace, making much more progress than earlier.

The way she said it and the way she smiled gratefully made me feel like a young Nord taking his first bottle of mead. It was almost ridiculous how I felt this way over this vampire I just met and knew little about. Oblivion, she couldn't even trust me with her past yet. But there was just something about her that was getting to me. I didn't feel this way when Jordis was trying to make a move on me. I didn't feel that way when I would woo Ysolda. I was hopeful that Serana would come around and trust me. And maybe, just maybe, I could win her over. There was more to her than meets the eye. I could feel it.

_Wow, Mikhael. Of all the women in Skyrim you pick an ancient vampire that you found in a tomb full of the bloodsuckers. You just met her and you already want to make her yours._

I tried my best to silence the voice in the back of my head that persistently reared itself whenever I did things that even I questioned. I decided that ignoring the thoughts that disagreed with my gut was the best course of action, as it seemed to be most of the time. I reasoned with myself that it was the sound decision. I was still alive after all, wasn't I?

The small boat hit the shore with a thud, knocking me out of my thoughts and causing me to grip the sides of the boat to stop myself from nearly toppling over. A soft chuckle to my left indicated that my nearly being introduced to the boat's wooden flooring didn't go unnoticed.

"Here we are" I said quietly, straightening up as I stared down the path leading to the huge castle. Somehow when the Serana asked me to take her home, I expected something... Well, smaller. The castle was massive, and the bridge leading to it had gargoyles flanking the sides, and I had to wonder if they'd all snap to life if I approached them.

I exited the boat and offered a hand to Serana. She smiled politely and took my hand, allowing me to assist her off the boat. We slowly approached the bridge leading to the castle.

_Oh, playing the gentleman card now are we?_

"Home, sweet… Castle" She joked. I warily eyed the gargoyle to my right that seemed to turn its head ever so slightly to keep me in its sights. Was I seeing things now?

"You didn't mention your home being this… Large." I turned to look at the massive castle shrouded in mist and fog.

"Well, I didn't want you to think I was just some unhappy daughter running away from her castle. We've all heard that story before" I laughed quietly at her response and continued along the bridge, inspecting the gargoyles as I did.

I approached one and grabbed its snout, glaring at its stony ayes as I did. If it suddenly bit my fingers off, then I'd have the confirmation that they were indeed very much alive. When the gargoyle did not respond to my invasion of its personal space, I tried slapping it once. Nothing. I stepped away slowly, not taking my eyes off the gargoyle as I did. I could see an amused Serana staring at me at the corner of my eye.

I was about to carry on and proceed to the gate and get this little escort over with. The sooner this all ended, the sooner I'd find out if I had a chance of seeing her again after this was all over... And the sooner Isran could finishing scolding me for disobeying his orders.

"Hey... So before we go in there..." I stopped to face Serana, who was biting her lip again. She looked troubled, like she knew something was going to happen.

"Are you alright?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too concerned to the point of seeming clingy.

"Yes. I'm fine... Thanks for asking. I wanted to thank you for getting me this far. But after we go in there, I'm going to go my own way for a while... I think." Serana turned to stare at the gate and the door behind it, choosing her next words carefully.

"I know your friends would probably want to kill everything in here. I'm hoping you can show some more control than that" She looked at me again to give me a smile that was pleading in a way. I gave her a curt nod in response.

We encountered some vampires on the way here and I dispatched them easily and with expertise. One of the vampires that attacked referred to me as a hunter, and after I dispatched the vampires without breaking a sweat, Serana figured out just what kind of hunter I was.

_"Are your parents expecting you?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. It was our second day of travelling together, and most of our chatting had mostly been about current events in Skyrim. Much of the information I gave her either shocked or amazed her. Or both. The news that I was Dragonborn and that dragons terrorized Skyrim for a period of time until I slew the World-Eater caused her brows to nearly meet her hairline in surprise. She teasingly called me "Great and Powerful Hero of Skyrim" for the rest of the day._

_"Well... I think my father might be. My mother is... Uhm. Well she-" Serana's reply was cut off as three vigilants of Stendarr appeared from the shadows blocked our path on the dirt road. I frowned as they formed a line in front of us, hands behind their backs. The vigilants should all be dead by now since the vampires raided The Hall of the Vigilant. Something was very wrong._

_The one that spoke up was an Orc. His tone was sly and he bared his fangs in a toothy grin as he spoke, "You are Mikhael, right?"_

_How did they know my name? I didn't respond, instead I took a step to stand in front of Serana protectively and placed my hands on the hilts of my dragon bone sword and Blade of Woe. As if the ancient vampire behind me needed protection. The Orc continued, "Oh and you must be Lady Serana, am I correct?" The Orcish vampire's grin and falsely polite tone was unsettling and I knew this would end with his blood on my blades. But the bastard seemed content with dragging this encounter out longer. I heard her animalistic growl behind me._

_"Mikhael, I suggest you stand aside. My dear Serana, I implore you come with us and leave this hunter. We'll take _good _care of you and bring you back to your father." It was a Bosmer that spoke this time, snarling at me as he did, his fangs exposed._

_"I think my friend here can take me back home just fine, thank you very much." Serana hissed at the Wood Elf. So they were a pack of vampires that murdered the vigilants and took their robes to impersonate them. They were hardly even impersonating them. They just wore the robes as a form of mockery._

_"So be it. Keeper Carcette sends her regards." The Orc taunted, grinning ear to ear and reaching for his battle axe. I didn't let the vampire make a move. I burst forward, bouncing off my feet to give more power. I delivered a jab to the Orc's chin, sending him reeling backwards, clutching his jaw. The Bosmer to my right drew a dagger and raised it high. I drew the Blade of Woe with my left and deflected the attack with my free hand. I quickly finished the Bosmer off with a powerful stab through the temple and he dropped without fuss._

_The third vampire, a quiet Nord, struck with his sword. I blocked the strike with my dagger and drew my sword. I delivered a quick headbutt to stun him before stomping the side of his knee, effectively breaking his leg and causing him to drop. I flung my dagger the short distance and caught him in the throat. The Orc recovered and charged me, battle axe low to swing upward. I lopped his head off with a single quick and powerful motion, causing blood to spew out of his neck and coat my armor in red._

_I exhaled audibly and approached the Nordic vampire to retrieve my blade. Serana released a low whistle as I wiped my blades off on the robes of the dead._

_"Well color me impressed, Hero of Skyrim" She muttered, eyeing the fresh corpses at my feet, the Orc's rolling head finally coming to a stop next to me. I stood straight and turned to Serana while returning my blades to their sheaths. She looked slightly disturbed. But the look left her face just as I turned to her. I suppose the cat was out of the bag now._

_Mikhael Ice-Sider, vampire hunter._

For the rest of the journey, Serana didn't treat me much differently. But there were times she seemed almost afraid of me after the revelation that I hunted her kind. But she tried to hide it as best as she could. I also imagined that she was reasoning with herself that I was more than a simple minded vampire slayer. I was taking her home instead of chopping her head off, wasn't I?

"Once we're inside, just keep quiet for a bit. Let me take the lead." Serana instructed, pointing at herself as she said so. She approached the gate cautiously, causing a man behind it to stir. He stepped up behind the gate and squinted through the thick mist.

"What do you think you're doing here? Be gone at once! You are tr-" The old gate guard cut himself off and gasped as he saw just who he was speaking to.

The old man turned around to yell at another person that was out of sight, "Lady Serana is back! Open the gate!" The reaction was instant and the gate lifted with a loud clang. The old man stepped to the side and bowed before Serana who put on an awkward grin and motioned for the man to straighten up, which he did.

"Looks like they were expecting me" She said to me, stepping towards the large doors as she did. Serana placed a hand on the large door handle and turned to look at me. She had that look on her again. She bit her lip and had a slight frown on her features. Perhaps this was because after we met with her father, we may not meet again. Or maybe she was worried that the other vampires would kill me. Or the other way around. There was no sure way to tell, really. I tried to smile reassuringly as I motioned for her to open the door.

* * *

I felt myself materialize by the docks with a loud snapping sound. Divines, I felt like somebody ripped me apart and put me back together, using nothing but mead as adhesive. And mead was in no way an adhesive! I was nauseous, and felt my head spin as I took a few staggering steps closer to the boat. What sort of damned vampiric magic causes a man to simply disappear on the spot and be transported a distance away? I growled at the thought of the bastard that did this. _Harkon_. Serana's _dear, loving_ father. I suddenly felt the events that transpired not ten minutes ago feel distant, and hard to recall.

Prey he calls me. Banish me will he? You don't banish Mikhael Ice-Sider. Oh, I'll show him. I'll...

I stumbled and fell face first into the boat that Serana and I used to arrive on the island. I repositioned myself but decided to lay there for a moment and recover from the dizziness I felt. I tried, with some difficulty, to recall what just happened. I returned Serana to her father, who then shape shifted into a vampire lord, as he called it. Then he offers the gift of the vampire lord as reward for returning his daughter. He offered his blood as his gift because he believes that there is no greater gift equal in value to the Elder Scroll or his daughter. Although, it seemed that he cared more for the Elder Scroll on her back than he did for her. Serana seemed disgruntled by that. But it seemed like she saw it coming. I refused his "gift" and he agreed to let me go this once, but vowed to destroy me in the future should we cross paths again.

I swear, just as he prepared to banish me, she turned to look at me. And she had this look on her face. Regret? Sadness? Pity? Conflict? I couldn't place it. For sure she wasn't pleased. That's all I was sure of. But the idea that she was displeased with my leaving the Castle Volkihar brought a little smile to my dazed face.

"Be gone"

It was the old man we met on arrival at the castle. He was in front of me, as if he appeared out of thin air. I frowned and opened my mouth in protest but before I could continue, he placed a foot on the boat and kicked. The boat hit water and soon began drifting back to the docks. Like last time, it went on and on without any further assistance. I glared daggers at the aged vampire that turned his back to me.

There was something very wrong with Harkon, that much was evident. Something about the man made me shake a little with the primal urge to sink my teeth into his flesh and rip him apart with my bare hands. I supposed that was the remnants of the beast blood rearing its ugly head once again. But my diluted killer wolf instincts aside, I felt it in my ever reliable gut that something was very off with the man.

The sinister smile that spread across his lips when he saw the Elder Scroll present on Serana's person was unsettling. As if the court full of vampires feasting on human flesh and blood wasn't unsettling enough on its own. Or the way the members of his court eyed me with hunger and licked their lips with anticipation as if they were waiting for Harkon to give the "GO!" signal to tackle me to the ground and take my blood. What did an ancient vampire, the leader of the Volkihar clan, want with an Elder Scroll? What did he plan to do with it? Whatever Harkon planned, it couldn't be any good.

My mind wandered back to The Dawnguard. Isran would want a full report. And he wouldn't be happy that the "artifact" got away alive and safe. And he'd be even less happy with the fact that I helped said artifact get back home safe and sound. Oh and he'd probably be livid with the fact that Harkon's artifact was carrying an Elder Scroll... Or was the Elder Scroll the artifact and Serana simply a speck on his grand plan, whatever that was. This meant that the vampires were in possession of an Elder Scroll, and saying that this was no good was a large understatement. Isran was in for a headache.

Oh, yes. The lead vampire slayer was in for a huge headache.

_A/N: Good day/evening/morning, friends. Firstly I'd like to make clarifications and such._

_TheGrinningAnimal, Mikhael Ice-Sider is a Nord. His father was a Nord and his mother an Imperial. Mikhael's mixed heritage won't be made into a big deal in the story, Serana just noticed that his name was not of Nordic origin. She may bring it up again out of curiosity in the future. I'm sorry to disappoint if you were expecting an elf. I was hoping that Serana's mentioning that his name was not Nordic implied it enough that Mikhael looked Nordic, and is Nordic. Sorry if I was lacking in clarity there, mate._

_I want to point out the slightly obvious that the italicized words are Mikhael's thoughts and subconscious doubts towards his own actions. Or they are flashbacks. I will use many flashbacks over the course of this fic to show events that are not presented in present time of the fic._

_Many of Mikhael's doubts and such are actually some of my thoughts when I played Dawnguard. I recall how I developed a liking to Serana the moment I met her but was telling myself not to get attached, because for all I know she may betray the player in the end. But Mikhael isn't always the type of man that listens to his head. He's more of an instinctive type of guy._

_Now enough of my talk, I hope you guys and gals enjoyed the most recent chapter. If you did, feel free to drop a review! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that I could just RIP YOUR INTESTINES OUT AND SKIP ROPE WITH THEM! *If you saw who I referenced, I give you a virtual brofist* I thank y'all for the reviews and support you've given me so far. Cheers!_


	4. Back at the Fort

Of course Dawnguard's leader wasn't happy when I reported back to him. I swear he was tempted to smash my face in with his warhammer for a second. Isran was already ready to explode with rage after the vampires assaulted Fort Dawnguard. We repelled the attack without a single casualty, but the fact that the vampires located and orchestrated an attack on the Dawnguard was alarming. And for Isran, infuriating.

_The first thing I heard upon arrival at Fort Dawnguard's gates wasn't Isran demanding a full report, but rather the sound of battle. I found myself raising an eyebrow as the sound of steel on steel filled the air, accompanied by the blast of destruction spells and the cries of the wounded._

_"I'll have your unbeating heart, scum!"_

_"Come and take it, mortal!"_

_The two shouts I heard amidst the thick of all the yelling confirmed that it was none other than a pack of vampires attacking. But I didn't really need to hear their exchange to know that. Who else would attack a guild of vampire slayers?_

_There was a pair of vampires walking at a casual pace towards the battle, oblivious to my presence. I took the opportunity to dart up behind one of them, snap his neck, and toss him on the ground. The sudden movement caused his companion, a Dunmer, to turn his attention to me. I finished the vampire off with a powerful stomp to the face, the dragon scale boots aiding in the crushing of his brain. The Dunmer lunged with a dagger, aiming to stab me through the gut. I sidestepped the attack and grabbed a hold of the offending arm. With a sharp twist, I bent his arm behind his back at an uncomfortable angle and ripped the blade free._

_I shoved the Dunmer to the ground and stabbed him in the back twice for good measure before tossing his dagger to the ground next to his corpse. I barely took another step when a mutt charged me from the shadows, followed by his female master, a Nord. The hellhound pounced in my direction and I drew my dagger, sidestepping the attack. It lunged for me again, and I easily cut its neck open with my blade. The vampire ran forward, mace raised high to smash my head in._

_Summoning fire in the palm of my free hand, I allowed the power to gather up for a moment as she got closer. I slashed her arm, faltering her attack. I followed up with a quick stab to the chest and a boot to the midsection. I sent the vampire stumbling back as I struck with my free hand, sending a ball of fire in her direction. The flames exploded around her and burned her to a crisp until nothing but ash remained. I extinguished the flames in the palm of my hand and drew my sword._

_I picked up the pace as I rounded the corner to see two Volkihar vampires in combat with Isran. The Redguard was an absolute monster in combat. A bright glow enveloped him, and I could hear the vampires crying out as he got closer to them. The bright whitish-gold aura surrounding Isran weakened and harmed the vampires to the point of lowering their weapons ever so slightly. With a powerful swing, he crushed the ribs of the first vampire, sending her to the ground clutching her side._

_The other raised his blade in an attempt to block the next incoming strike. The parry was useless and Isran split the vampire's head open with one swing, making a bit of a mess when he did. Behind him I saw a number of other vampires in a skirmish with the members of the Dawnguard. We were outnumbered, it seemed. Using his momentum from his attack, he spun around to attack the first vampire, who now sat up. She barely had time to turn her head when the warhammer connected with her temple and killed her on impact._

_A vampire appeared as if from nowhere, dagger poised to dig into Isran's neck. The brutish Redguard, delivered a powerful kick to his chest. The blow nearly echoed throughout the area, and I cringed slightly as the vampire stumbled backwards. He recovered and lunged forward. Isran met him with an elbow to the face, cracking the vampire's jaw in the process. The vampire took a dazed step ahead of him and Isran took the opportunity to grab him by the back of his robes and throw him to the ground in front of him. Placing a boot on his chest, Isran sent his unforgiving warhammer down and crushed the vampire's skull. Dawnguard's leader abruptly turned about and ran into the fray to assist his brethren._

_"I'll have your heart on a platter!" A yell to my left alerted me to a vampire taunting Agmaer. Alarmingly, the young Nord was bleeding from a wound on his side, and was struggling to parry with his axe. Instead of standing around and watching the fight like I had with Isran, I snapped into action. I dashed forward, cutting deeply into the vampire's side. I readied my sword to quickly chop his head off, when Agmaer suddenly struck with a burst of energy I didn't know he had._

_The young Nord lunged forward, grabbing the vampire by the front of his robes and jamming his axe into his skull. The sick, satisfying cracking and squelching of the kill filled my ears and I felt strangely proud of the lad. Who knew the kid had it in him? Agmaer pulled his axe free from the vampire's head and gave me a nod in thanks. I eyed his side, where there were two visible gashes that bled freely. I sheathed my dagger and rubbed my fingers together with my free hand for a moment, trying to recall how the healing spell worked._

_After a moment of fumbling, my hand fired a beam of warm light at Agmaer. I could hear his breathing even out slightly as the wound mended itself. I could only do so much, as I was experienced in destruction, although I rarely used it. My restoration skills were limited, and the kid needed an experienced healer to close up wounds as big as his._

_A vampire and his thrall charged me, appearing from the shadows by the tree line. I raised my sword and easily parried a clumsy swing from the thrall. Before the vampire attacked, I kicked him in the gut, sending him a few steps back. I tried my best not to break the healing spell as I repelled the attackers. The thrall swung again with his sword, this time from the side. I met the blow with a slash going to the side. Our swords struggled for control and I felt myself losing. The thrall used both hands to overpower me, and I let my blade give way. The thrall lost balance, and I easily stabbed him through the heart before ripping my blade free._

_The vampire came at me again with a swing aimed for my neck. I blocked the blow and let it slide down my blade. Before he could attack again, I delivered a quick slice aimed at his hand. The vampire dropped his sword and clutched his bleeding hand, screaming in pain as he did. I swung my sword and sent his head sailing into the air, silencing him in effect._

_I turned to see a recovered Agmaer, who grinned widely at me. The deep cuts at his side stopped bleeding, but upon closer inspection, I noted that they may still need stitches. I could only do so much, after all. The two of us walked forward to approach the dying conflict. As far as I could tell, no hunters had died, but a few were wounded. There was but one vampire left and he soon dropped at my feet, a look of panic on his face as he tried to scramble back up. Isran placed a heavy foot on his back and prevented his escape. Before he could smash the vampire's head in, a steel bolt jammed into his skull, ceasing his struggling. The shooter was Durak, who moved to recover the bolt._

_Isran returned his hammer to its sheath as he growled, "This is unacceptable. I will not stand for it! Damned vampires. They will pay for this! I will. I..." The man paused and took several deep breaths as he clenched and unclenched his fists. His self calming technique was working, but there was obviously still a deep raging fire in his eyes, one of which twitched slightly. It was also noticeable in the way he shook slightly, looking ready to burst as a vein on his forehead throbbed visibly. The Redguard exhaled one more time before turning to look at me._

_"Look at this," Isran gestured to the dead vampires at his feet. "I should've known it was only a matter of time before they found us." His frown deepened slightly and he clasped his hands behind his back, and began pacing._

_"It's the price we pay for openly recruiting. We'll have to step up our defenses." He noted as he kicked a rickety wooden steak erected from the ground. Isran paused and looked at me once again, his brow furrowed. A look of realization crossed his face for a moment and he recalled the mission that he sent me on. The look left quickly and was replaced by his frown yet again._

_"I don't suppose you have good news for me." He grumbled, ceasing his pacing to stand straight and stare down at me._

_I felt myself already cringing slightly, knowing that the man was not going to be pleased with what I had to say, "I have news, but I wouldn't call it good"_

_"Of course. Why did I suppose differently. Fine, tell me what you know." The Redguard looked at me flatly and spoke with slight irritation._

_"The vampires were looking for a woman trapped in Dimhollow." My reply replaced Isran's angry look with one that was confused and puzzled._

_"A woman? Trapped in there? That doesn't make any sense. Who is she? More importantly, where is she?" He spoke quickly, not liking the feeling of not knowing what was going on._

_"She's the daughter of a powerful vampire lord" I took a small step back in case Isran planned on retaliating. Isran shook visibly, fists clenching and unclenching, as if tempted to grab his warhammer._

_"And so you delivered her to them" He responded in a barely controlled growl. I decided to spit all the bad news out so I could get this encounter over with._

_"They also have an Elder Scroll" Isran's brows nearly reached the top of his forehead as a look of horror crossed his face._

_"They what?" He didn't want to believe it. "And you didn't stop them? You didn't secure the scroll?" He took a step forward, his hands emphasizing his words._

_Give a coherent, logical answer that doesn't involve doing it for the pretty vampire, Mikhael._

_"There were too many of them, and only one of me" I retorted, refusing the continue backing up. Isran stopped walking forward and placed his hands on his hips. His eyes glared at the ground as he replied._

_"So they have everything they wanted, and we're left with nothing. By the Divines, this couldn't get much worse. This is more than you and I can handle"_

_"We have to do something." I stated._

_Isran turned to me again and snapped, "Well of course we do. I'm old, not stupid." Isran paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face._

_"We're just going to need some help"_

He quickly sent me off on a mission that he was sure I couldn't mess up. I was to find Sorine Jurard, a Breton, and Gunmar, a big Nord. Sorine was very smart, and an expert on Dwemer technology, particularly weaponry and would be a great asset. Gunmar was either a hunter or a mercenary, I wasn't so sure, with extensive knowledge of and experience with working with animals. He was working on taming trolls for battle. The idea of a troll in armor charging at me with murder in its eyes admittedly made me cringe inwardly.

I found Sorine out in The Reach, searching for her missing Dwemer gyros. I had to talk her into it, but she agreed to return to Fort Dawnguard to help stop the vampire menace, after she found her missing gyros. It took a five minute search to find them by a river bank, which was filled with mudcrabs. Sorine was convinced that the mudcrabs were responsible for the theft.

Gunmar was out by Falkreath when I found him. He told me he was busy and that Isran would have to wait just a little bit longer. He had been tracking a pack of bears for several weeks and was bent on putting them down. Apparently, the bears killed a farmer or two in the nearby town, and needed to be slain. Having a bad past with bears, I was tempted to simply sit and wait for Gunmar to finish his little quest. But in the end, I offered a hand and helped slay the creatures in their cave. The big Nord then told me he was going to go ahead to Fort Dawnguard and just meet me there. Just like the two of them said, I found them at the gates of Fort Dawnguard, awaiting my arrival. We entered the massive fort and went through the double doors.

It was dark, and the usual beam of light that shines into the center of the room was absent. The gates blocked the stairs proceeding to the second floor and the arches on either side of the hall. I could make out the shadow of a man among the darkness of the second floor which overlooked us.

"Step towards the center of the room" Isran's voice filled the still air in the hall, and Sorine, Gunmar, and myself obliged. A shutter pulled open and flooded the hall with light, blinding us for a moment. Gunmar grunted and covered his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this, Isran?" His voice carried across the large hall.

"Just making sure you're not vampires. Can't be too careful" Was the cold reply. Isran paused for a moment and dimmed the shutters so it wasn't too blinding.

"So, welcome to Fort Dawnguard!" He spread his arms wide almost comically before continuing. "I'm sure you've heard a bit of what we're up against. Powerful vampires, unlike anything we've seen before" He paused once again to gauge their reactions.

"And, they have an Elder Scroll" If looks could kill, Isran's glare would have probably killed me three times over. Isran broke the death glare to put on a defiant look. "If anyone is going to stand in their way, it's going to be us!" The Redguard slammed a hand on the railing to emphasize his point. Sorine hesitantly spoke up to interrupt Isran.

"This is all well and good, but do we actually know anything about what they're doing? What do we do now?" She asked, face contorted in doubt.

"We'll get to that. For now, get acquainted with the space." Isran replied, sounding as cold as ever.

His tone took more authority when he spoke again, "Sorine, you'll find room to start your tinkering on that crossbow design you've been working on" He motioned to Sorine's right and she slowly made her way to the archway he indicated, the gate now lowered. Isran turned to Gunmar.

"Gunmar, there's an area large enough for you to pen up some trolls, get them armored up and ready for use" Gunmar wordlessly walked towards the other archway to begin his task.

"And now, Mikhael, we're going to find out why one of those bloodsuckers came here looking for you" Isran's cold, hard, irritated voice could send chills down the spines of lesser men. But I was no lesser man. Although, I must admit his statement caught me off guard. I frowned in confusion and opened my mouth to ask what he was talking about while the voice in the back of my head yelled at me to come up with a viable excuse.

"Let's go have a little chat with _it_ shall we?" A dark smile crept onto Isran's face before he turned around to proceed to the vampire in question.

_This doesn't make any sense. What vampire in their right mind would come to Fort Dawnguard looking for me? Perhaps someone from Castle Volkihar? But who would..._

After a moment of processing, my eyes widened in realization as my brain clicked.

_Serana_.

I walked briskly towards the stairs and went up, taking two at a time, quickly arriving by Isran's side. He raised an eyebrow at my quick pace but decided not to question it. I matched his pace to avoid looking too tense or suspicious with my movement. We kept walking until we rounded a corner into a torture room.

The walls and floor were stained with dry blood, various torture tools were laid across a table, and a stretcher sat on one corner. I felt my breath hitch when it was indeed none other than Serana herself that stood next to Isran. Isran kept his eyes trained on her, and you could tell by the way his hands twitched that he was just aching to put her down right there and then. By the Nine, how did she even convince him not to kill her on the spot? She must really be more persuasive than I thought.

I looked Serana up and down for any sort of injury, and was relieved to see that she was untouched. She gave me a small smile in greeting but it was quickly wiped away when Isran growled slightly at the sight of her civility towards me.

"This vampire showed up while you were away" Isran practically refused to look away from Serana as he spoke, as if he expected her to suddenly attack the moment his eyes left her. "I'm guessing it's the one you found in Dimhollow Crypt. Say's it's got something really important to say to you"

It was notable that he repeatedly referred to Serana as an "it" and not a "she", which just goes to show how much the man really hates vampires.

I looked at Serana and gave her a small nod, urging her to speak up.

"So you probably weren't expecting to see me again" She smirked slightly, as if trying to break the tension in the room. I allowed myself to smile slightly but was wary of the agitated Redguard to my right, and tried to look serious once again.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'd rather not be here either," She looked at Isran and took the smallest step back when his frown deepened, "But I really need to talk to you."

"It's important, so please just listen before your friend here loses his patience" Serana's statement caused me to briefly look at Isran, who still looked ready to pop. I nodded and motioned for her to continue.

"Well... It's about me. And about the Elder Scroll that was buried with me." I could see a quick shift in Isran's expression, and I could sense him trying to momentarily set aside his deep hatred to listen to what the vampire had to say.

"It's my father." She hurried along when she saw the look on my face, "But I'm guessing you figured this part out already. My father's not exactly a good person. Even by vampire standards." The bitterness in her voice as she spoke hinted at an eras-old resentment.

Isran placed his hands on his hips, a bit of an indication of his desire for the conversation to quickly get to the point. I relaxed my stance and crossed my arms, once again urging for her to go on.

"He wasn't always like that though. There was..." Serana grabbed at the air for the right choice of words, "A turn. He stumbled onto this obscure prophecy and just lost himself in it"

I could tell that even Isran was starting to show interest. "What sort of prophecy?" Isran spoke up.

"It's pointless and vague, like all prophecies. The part that he latched onto said that vampires would no longer need to fear the sun. That's what he's after. He wants to control the sun. He wants vampires to control the world"

I felt myself stiffen up at the thought of an eternal night as vampires roamed the land doing as they pleased. The horrors it would bring caused me to shudder slightly, and I turned to the grimacing Isran, who looked equally bothered.

"Anyway, my mother and I didn't feel like inviting a war with all of Tamriel, so we tried to stop him," Serana never did tell me about her mother. When she was about to, the vampires dressed as vigilants attacked. Serana's mother was also absent at Castle Volkihar when I returned her Harkon.

"That's why I was sealed away with the Scroll." She paused to let it sink in. I began rubbing my beard thoughtfully and spared Isran a glance to see he was deep in thought.

"You took a big risk coming here" I noted, my head tilting in Isran's direction ever so slightly.

"I know. But something about you makes me think I can trust you. I hope I'm not wrong." Her expression visibly softened and I gave her a reassuring smile that I hope Isran didn't notice or bother to notice. "That, and Skyrim's vampire hunters are high up on the list of people who need to know about my father's... Plans." She added.

"You're right," A look of relief washed over her. "We just have to convince the others you're on our side"

"Let's get moving then. I'm nothing if not persuasive" She sounded almost playful when she said it and I found myself suppressing a grin. I turned to Isran, who stopped glaring at Serana to give me the look, and I took a small step to the left, putting myself between him and Serana, just in case. The step also put me a little bit out of throttling range. You never know with an angry, bloodthirsty vampire hunter. The term bloodthirsty associated with a vampire hunter, was rather ironic now that I thought about it. Yet, as Isran clenched his fists and glared at me for looking too chummy with the vampire, and Serana, for simply being a vampire, I couldn't think of a better word to describe him.

"Alright, you've heard what it has to say. Now tell me, is there any reason I shouldn't kill your bloodsucking friend right now?" He shook in his boots in his effort to speak instead of simply unsheathing his warhammer and going wild. It was my turn to frown and grit my teeth, my patience beginning to drain.

"Can't you set your hatred aside for one second to see the bigger picture?" I kept my tone as controlled as possible but knew it came out sounding snappy. Isran glared harder at me before retorting.

"My hatred and constant vigilance is what makes me strong," He snarled, taking a step forward; this time I didn't take a step back. "Why should I? Because of her story of that prophecy? About some vampire trying to put out the sun? Do you actually believe any of that?" The tone Isran was taking was one that was daring me not to back down, and so I didn't.

I exhaled quietly and shut my eyes tight for a moment in an effort to regain my composure. "Why else would she risk her life to come here?"

_Get it through your thick skull and think like a man, not a mindless vampire slayer!_

Of course, I kept my thoughts to myself, lest I anger him and cause him to attack me.

"Who knows? Maybe _it_ has a death wish. Maybe _it's_ just insane. I don't really care." He turned to glare at Serana once again before continuing. "It can stay for now, but if it so much as lays a finger on anyone here, I'll hold you responsible. Got it?" He pointed a finger at me, that shook slightly in restrained anger. I nodded in response. He turned totally to Serana, who crossed her arms.

"You hear me? Don't feel like a guest, because you're not. You're a resource, an _asset,_" Isran growled at Serana who now seemed unfazed. "In the meantime, don't make me regret my sudden outburst of tolerance and generosity, because if you do, your friend here is going to pay for it" He practically spat the word _friend_ in my direction, and I saw a look of worry cross Serana's features briefly.

"Thank you for your kindness, I'll remember it the next time I'm feeling _hungry_" She droned sarcastically, earning a glare which I was surprised could be darker than it already was. She quickly diverted her attention from him and turned to me, her expression lightening greatly.

"So in case you didn't notice it on my back, I have the Elder Scroll with me. Whatever it says, it should help us stop my father... But of course, neither of us can read it" The last sentence caused me to frown again for the nth time today.

"Any idea who can?" I asked hopefully.

"There are these Moth Priests who are said to be able to read them. They spend years preparing before they start reading, though. But... They're all the way in Cyrodiil." Her tone took a bleak turn as she bit her lip, a thoughtful look on her face.

Isran, who was leaning against the wall by the door, cut in. "An Imperial scholar arrived a few days ago. I was watching out by the road when I saw him pass by. He might be your Moth Priest." Oh, wow. What a coincidence.

"Do you know where he's staying now?" Serana asked.

"No, and I don't intend to waste men looking. We're fighting a war against your kind, and I intend to win it" Isran was quick to return to his hateful demeanor as he snarled at her.

"You want to find him, talk to people who might meet travelers. Innkeepers, carriage drivers and the like. But you're on your own." Was all Isran said before he made his exit.

Serana noticeably relaxed further when the Redguard left. She let her back hit the wall and let out a big sigh, rubbing her temples with her fingers as she did.

"I hope they didn't treat you too roughly when you got here" Was the first thing that went to my head, and I felt that it should be voiced to remove the mental image of Isran dragging a tied up Serana into the Fort by her feet.

"It could have been worse. There were probably ten crossbows pointed at my head the moment I stepped through the gates. But, all things considered, it went pretty well. I'm still here and breathing, right?" She gave me a thumb up and a reassuring smile.

"So what's the plan. How are you finding that Moth Priest?" She asked, changing the topic and getting back to business.

I motioned for her to come along and we slowly made our way back downstairs as we talked. "Probably head to Riften and talk to the carriage driver there. Then from there, hire him to take me to wherever it is the Moth Priest is"

Serana nodded quietly before picking up her pace, walking in front of me, and blocking my way. I raised an eyebrow in question and Serana appeared to be searching for the right choice of words for a moment.

"Look... I don't know how to say this but... I want to come along with you. I've been wanting to get out and explore a bit." She didn't have to ask twice.

"By all means, come with me. I wouldn't mind the company" Serana grinned in response to my acceptance and we continued down towards the exit. As we reached the door, a hand gripped my arm and my head snapped to the direction of the offending arm that stopped me. Of course, it was Isran.

"You, go on ahead to the gates. I need to talk to your friend here." Isran nodded at Serana who frowned and didn't leave my side; instead, she took a step closer to me.

"It's okay, Serana. Go ahead to the gates. I'll catch up to you." I assured her. Serana's doubtful expression never left as she slowly stepped away. Serana put the hood I gave her to use, and stepped out of the fort and into the sunlight.

"I don't like the way you look at _it._" Of course he noticed, he just _had_ to notice. I took Isran's hand and removed it from my person before taking a step back and straightening my dragon scale armor.

"And how exactly do you think I look at _her_?" I emphasized Serana's gender. I disliked his refusal to acknowledge her as nothing but a vampire very much.

"You let your guard down and you look at it as a friend. No, more than that. I see it in your eyes, boy. Don't try and pull a sack of lies and excuses over my head" He growled the last part when I opened my mouth to retort. I didn't think it was that obvious.

"You best tread carefully. If I didn't know better, I'd say she's using that vampiric seduction on you. It will try to get real close to you. Then you'll let it get close to you. Then next thing you know it, you're on the ground, and it's drinking your blood. Drinking you dry 'til there's _nothing_ left in you. Then it'll throw you away like a bone stripped clean of meat."

I was about to give a snappy response when I realized that, in a way, he was just trying to look out for me. Sure, he hated the vampires for all they were worth. Sure, he lacked faith in Serana. But I was a hunter under his charge, and he was just making sure I wasn't going to get myself killed for not thinking clearly.

"I know what I'm doing, Isran. I can handle this." I told him, conviction evident in my voice. Isran was silent for a moment before he sighed, the irritation not as bad as before.

"Alright, Mikhael. Try not to get yourself killed." Isran left, proceeding to one of the arches, probably to check on Gunmar or Sorine.

I opened the door to find a few of The Dawnguard murmuring amongst themselves as they walked towards the fort. I only caught a few words.

Mikhael. Vampire. Elder Scroll. Kill. Isran. No.

I was going to assume that Isran gave the order that Serana was travelling with me and was not to be killed. _Unless he commands it_, I added in afterthought. They probably also saw Serana and the giant Scroll on her back. One hunter in particular stood out and shot me this dirty look. He was a Nord, not very tall, with shortly cropped blonde hair and a short beard. The look he wore was begging for a fight.

"So you're going around with a vampire on a leash now?" He yelled as we passed, causing me to stop and turn around to face him. Didn't I have enough skeever shit to deal with? Did I have enough time to deal with this ass, giving me shit I don't need?

"That vampire is going to help us stop other vampires from controlling the sun. I'd watch my tone if I were you" I spoke as calmly as I could.

The man spat on the ground before me, "Yeah, because the vampires can turn the sun on and off just like that" He mocked.

"Ollrod, come on this isn't worth our time." It was a Bosmer that spoke, I believe Beleval was her name. Ollrod shrugged her off and continued to glare at me.

"Better watch it, Mikhael. She might suddenly lose her life if you aren't paying attention. Scum like her and her kind aren't bound to live long. Especially in Fort Dawnguard of all places. We're supposed to kill vampires. We _will_ kill vampires." The Nord threatened, taking a step forward to get in my face. Where was he getting this crap? He was like a more 'in-your-face' Isran. But worse. At least Isran had enough sense of reason to declare her an asset to our cause. This one on the other hand... I looked the man straight in the eye, and decided to do something about the invasion of personal space.

"Fus" I whispered the Thu'um, causing him to lose balance and stumble, instead of knocking him flat on his behind like the shout would usually do.

"You piece of-" Ollrod raised a fist to strike me, and I reacted quickly. I shoved my hand forward, aiming for his collarbone. My hand landed flatly and firmly, my index and middle fingers pressing into his neck and squeezing at his windpipe slightly as they did. Ollrod hastily took a step back and gripped his throat, coughing slightly. The move caused Ollrod to cease the attack and glare at me.

"You don't want to do this" I snarled and I knew the younger Nord was intimidated. He rubbed his throat, broke eye contact and hastily continued on the way back to Fort Dawnguard with his companions. It was only when they entered the fort that I let myself relax and continue on my way to the gate.

Who did he think he was talking to me like that? I'll be damned before I let that skeever ass talk like that again about me. About _her_. I shook my head to clear my thoughts of the arrogant hunter and focused on the task at hand. Need to get to Serana and find that Moth Priest.

I arrived at the gates in no time to find Serana sitting under a tree for shade. She waved as I approached and I nodded in response.

"I hope I haven't gotten you into too much trouble..." She trailed off apologetically as she got to her feet.

"All's good, Serana. Let's hit the road; we have a long way to go. I hope the hood's working its wonders for you" I opened the gate and began walking. Serana quickly followed and fell in step with me.

"It is. Travelling during the day is a lot easier" She smiled in gratitude. I returned with a smile of my own, and we walked in silence for a few minutes.

_Guard up. Constant vigilance. Don't let her get to you._

I silenced the little Isran in the back of my head.

"Hey, I also wanted to thank you for having my back in there. I don't want to think of what might have happened if you didn't vouch for me when you did" She shuddered slightly, "Looks like I may have placed my trust in the right person" She smiled brightly at me, and I didn't bother suppressing a grin in return.

"I won't let Isran or the other hunters lay a finger on you. Don't worry" I assured her.

_Are you sure you can keep that promise?_

"I appreciate it, Mikhael. I'm glad it was you and not some... Other person that found me in Dimhollow" I wanted to say that I wouldn't have it any other way or that I was twice as glad, but felt she may take it the wrong way. Or rather, think that I was coming onto her. So maybe I was, but I didn't want her to know that just yet. It would be horrible if I was coming on too strong and she didn't reciprocate how I felt. If she returned some sort of affection then maybe, just maybe, we could be together or something. After all this was over, of course. And so I simply offered a smile in response to her statement.

I tried not to dwell on how I felt about her, and instead focused on the journey ahead. There would always be time for dwelling later. Riften was a few more hours away on foot, and I felt my heart ache slightly at the thought of Shadowmere in the Void, angry as ever. Why, oh why did that dragon have to attack when it did? Now I was stuck without a loyal mare. I couldn't quite bear the thought of buying a new horse. It just didn't feel right.

"You never did tell me about your parents. How about a story to make the walk feel shorter?" Serana asked, a playful smile on her lips. The hood casted a deep shadow and all I could see were her lips, and her striking bright eyes that pierced through the darkness.

Well I suppose an explanation as to why my name was hardly as Nordic as me wouldn't hurt. It would make the long, tedious walk more bearable too, if her mere presence wasn't doing that already.

"It started in Cyrodiil..."

_A/N: Hey there, folks. I'd like to thank you all for the reviews, faves, and follows once again. I'd also like to mention that, I know how when someone ends a chapter with a line like that, the next chapter would focus on whatever that last line was. So no, I won't be going into Mikhael's heritage._

_I wanted to make a short note on Isran. I honestly like the guy, and his slow progression throughout the questline. As much as possible, I'm trying to avoid painting him in too much of a negative light. *But of course, it is unavoidable, especially this early on* Because the guy is just out to keep Skyrim safe from the vampire menace. He's just an extremist in doing so. I respect the guy, and we'll eventually see him being more reasonable and sensible._

_I hope you people enjoyed the chapter I've given you today, and will continue following this story. Drop a review on the way out, I appreciate it ;) Cheers!_


	5. A Moment to Plan and to Rest

"I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow! Now a voice whispers, saying "Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise". In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one." It was only Dexion that spoke, nobody dared interrupt the reading.

"The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes, I see them now... One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood." Dexion's face contorted in concentration and his grey brows furrowed as he seemed to struggle, and he was silent for a few moments.

"My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls." The Moth Priest concluded, carefully rolling up the Elder Scroll as he finished. He took a step forward and suddenly lost balance, grabbing hold of Isran for support.

"I must rest now. The reading has made me weary." Dexion said, and Isran assisted him towards the stairs until the old man told him he was steady enough to walk.

"Rest up, old man." Isran said as Dexion began slowly walking up the stairs. It was only Serana, Isran, and I that remained in the hall now. Serana was biting her lip once again and appeared to be deep in thought, so I did not bother her at first.

"I admit, I'm surprised you found the old Moth Priest as fast as you did," Isran confessed. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble"

"Nothing we couldn't handle." I replied, and noticed Isran's face twitch ever so slightly at the word 'we'.

_We arrived at Dragon Bridge at sunset, and I noticed Serana lower her hood as the sun finally stopped troubling her. She shook her head and combed her fingers through her hair. Serana stopped when she noticed me staring._

_"Not that I don't appreciate the hood, but it doesn't do wonders for my hair" She said, the trivial problem causing me to laugh, and in effect, for her to slap me lightly to make me stop, but joining with a giggle as she did._

_The carriage driver in Riften, after being paid in gold, told us that the Moth Priest was heading for Dragon Bridge. We then hired the carriage driver to take us to Solitude, and from there, we walked to Dragon Bridge._

_"We should ask around. Well, you should" Serana said, avoiding eye contact with a guard that walked by. I was about to ask the guardsman when I felt something poking at my leg. I turned around to see young Clinton Lylvieve with a wide grin on his face._

_"Mr. Mikhael! It's been so long since I saw you!" He said enthusiastically, hopping in place slightly as he did, causing me to chuckle. The boy was right, his growth by a few inches taller was evidence of how long it was since I was in Dragon Bridge._

_Now that I thought of it, the last time I was in the small town was when I wiped out the Penitus Oculatus in their outpost after assassinating the emperor. It was a form of stress relief, and a form of revenge for what they did to the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. I was clad in the Brotherhood's armor, and was not bothering to hide my affiliation to Sithis. Then I saw the child walk up to me to interrupt my mission of vengeance, and I ended up playing tag with the boy, after hearing of how his only friend was a goat._

_"Indeed it has, boy" I ruffled his hair fondly, while Serana silently watched from the side, a small smile on her face. Clinton looked from me to Serana and back, a curious look about him._

_"Who's that, sir? Did you find a wife like you said you were trying to when we last met? She's really pretty." The child spoke so quickly, and I felt my jaw drop slightly, not quite knowing how to respond to all that was said._

_Ah, I recall that when asked what I was doing in town, I told him I was seeking a wife. He bought the excuse without question that time. And now he thinks Serana is my wife._

_I looked at Serana, who held a hand to her mouth to suppress a laugh at my reaction to the boy's question. But at the same time, I could see her blush, despite the darkness shrouding us. I bent down to one knee so I was leveled with Clinton, and didn't have to look down as I spoke._

_"That's Serana, Clinton. She's a friend." Clinton eyed me suspiciously in a way that said he didn't believe me. "Now, the two of us would really appreciate it if you could give us a hand" The boy perked up at the idea of being able to assist us._

_"Anything, Mr. Mikhael!" Was the enthusiastic reply._

_"I'm looking for a Moth Priest. I heard he passed through here." I told him and watched Clinton as he rubbed his chin for a second before replying._

_"There was an old man in robes that passed through. He was in a carriage with a few Imperial guards. They went across the bridge. That was only a little while ago, so you should be able to get to them if you hurry." The boy reported._

_"Good man, Clinton" I stood up and turned to Serana, who nodded. "We thank you for the help, lad. I'll try to drop by again as soon as I can, okay?"_

_The young boy grinned and hopped in place once again in excitement. "I look forward to it, sir! What does a Moth Priest do? Is he gonna be the priest that will marry you and Ms. Serana?"_

_My cheeks heated up and I coughed loudly and took a few steps back, "That's a different type of priest, Clinton. A priest of Mara tends to those matters. I'll tell you what Moth Priests do one day. Now, we must get going. Farewell, child." I quickly ended the conversation before there could be any more embarrassment. The boy gave a sly, almost knowing smile before waving as we departed._

_A glance at Serana confirmed she was about the same shade of red as me at this point. She noticed the glance and chuckled awkwardly, "Cute kid."_

_It was a few minutes of walking before we found the Moth Priest's carriage flipped onto its side, corpses littering the area._

_"Oh no" Serana muttered, picking up the pace to approach the carriage. By the looks of it, the vampires wrecked the carriage and made off with the priest. Among the bodies of Imperials, there was one dead vampire. I crouched down to inspect her body. I patted down her pouch and found a note detailing where the priest was being held._

_"Forebears' Holdout" I repeated out loud. "Let's go" I moved quickly, moving at a jog to approach the nearby cave. It didn't take us long to find the vampire's hideout. There were splatters of blood along the trail and marking the cave's mouth, and I had to wonder if it belonged to the priest._

_There were several mutts guarding the stairs leading to the center of the cave. The center had a great magical barrier surrounding a man, while several vampires guarded the barrier. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of those damned gargoyles suddenly snapped to life, as well._

_Serana sent several ice spikes out, and effectively took the hellhounds out without a sound. We quietly made our way up the stairs and found ourselves in an area that very much seemed like an arena. The stairs leading to the barrier were blocked by a vampire, who now took note of us._

_He leapt from where he stood and landed a good two feet from Serana, and quickly engaged her in combat. Two more pounced from my side, and I narrowly dodged the attacks. In between ducking the slashes and stabs, I successfully drew my crossbow. The first lunged, slashing to the side. I deflected his arm with my free hand and jabbed him hard in the middle of the chest with the crossbow, causing him to stumble back and cough loudly as he gripped his chest. I spun around the face my other attacker and fired a bolt into his eye, quickly putting him down. I quickly returned my crossbow to the sling on my back and drew my blades. With a quick swing, the first vampire was down for the count._

_I turned to Serana to find that she was done dealing with her assailant. She motioned towards the stairs and began ascending, with me in tow. We arrived at the top, and were greeted by two vampires. One was a large Orcish vampire, and seemed to be the one in charge. He was probably Malkus, the man who wrote the note I found on the vampire._

_Malkus charged me, as his companion went for Serana. Malkus suddenly flung an axe in my direction, and I narrowly avoided it. Twisting my head to the side, the axe grazed the side of my face, drawing a small amount of blood and ripping some facial hair off. Not wishing for the fight to last longer than necessary, I ended it before it got too bad._

_"YOL TOOR SHUUUUUUUUL!" I incinerated the vampires before they could take another step closer to us, the white hot flames licking them up and consuming them alive, leaving nothing but ash in its deadly wake. I steadied my breathing as I ascended the stairs, finding some sort of mechanism that controlled the barrier. Serana stayed by the barrier to check on the Moth Priest's condition._

_There was some sort of rock of magical property that was next to the mechanism. I tried inserting the rock into the mechanism and was pleased to hear the magical barrier weaken and slowly lose its glow. I went down the stairs to meet Serana and the priest. After a few moments, the barrier went down, and the Moth Priest's eyes snapped open. Something was wrong._

_"My master is dead, and his enemies will pay!" The priest was enthralled, and I felt that I should have seen this coming. Perhaps I could simply knock some sense into him. Flames appeared in the palm of his hand and he drew a long katana, similar to that of The Blades. I took several long strides forward to meet the priest head on, sheathing my blades as I did. I licked my lips and inhaled. My throat was still sore from the first shout, and did not have time to recover yet._

_"ZUN HAAL VIIK!" The blade was ripped from the Moth Priest's hand, and the flames in his hand were extinguished. I felt my throat burn in protest and knew that I had to give it a good break for a few hours. Before the priest could scramble to his blade or ready his flames, I swung with my fist, delivering a powerful blow to his temple, sending him flat on his back and knocking him unconscious. I looked at Serana, who walked up to the priest and rubbed her chin thoughtfully._

_"He should wake up in a few hours free of enthrallment." Serana declared. "Good job, by the way. That was one mean punch"_

I shaved my beard after the incident when I had the time, leaving a simple but fitting goatee. Serana gave me her approval of the new look. _"Who needs a fancy stylist when you have an angry vampire with an axe?" _I remembered joking with her.

"Do you believe her now? After hearing the reading?" I asked Isran, hoping he decided to be rational. Isran frowned before replying, stubborn as ever.

"I heard a lot of vague nonsense. You could interpret that a hundred different ways. To me, the only thing that stood out was Auriel's bow. That is a powerful weapon and I sure as Oblivion don't want the vampires to get their hands on it." Isran looked behind me, and at Serana. "I still don't trust her. Keep her on a leash"

I found myself frowning at Isran's words but realized he actually referred to Serana as a "her" and not an "it" for the first time. I don't think he noticed his own choice of words at that moment.

"And I trust it that you and the vampire will handle locating the two Scrolls? I'm handling things in the fort" I gave Isran a brief nod in response, and the Redguard walked off. I watched the man's retreating figure and began wondering if he was slowly opening his stubborn mind. No harsh side comment that she was planning on eating my insides. No note on how his business was far more important than helping Serana and I.

The Dragon Scroll was in Breezehome. I refused to sell it to the College of Winterhold, and felt it was best that it stay in my home, where I could keep a close eye on it. I could take a quick carriage to Whiterun and get the Scroll. That just leaves the Elder Scroll of Blood.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" Serana's voice turned my thoughts away from Isran and the Scrolls.

"Upstairs, in the room they provided for me" I told her, before proceeding up the stairs and to the small room I was assigned to. It was nothing fancy. An end table, a few chairs, and a bed. I took my helmet off, unstrapped my gauntlets, and set them down on the end table. I dropped onto the bed and relaxed myself. Serana rubbed her hands together and looked around the room before taking a seat on the chair next to my bed.

"What's on your mind?" I asked.

"Dexion said we needed two other Elder Scrolls. I think I know where we can start looking" She waited for my reaction. I gave a lazy nod before replying.

"Why didn't you speak up earlier? Isran might have appreciated the news and deemed you more useful than he first thought" I added the last part half-jokingly.

"Half the people here would just as soon kill me as talk to me. I got a warmer welcome from my father, and that's saying something." The reference to her father caused me to frown slightly. I adjusted my position so I wasn't sprawled out on the bed.

"Do you trust Harkon at all?" I asked seriously. Serana sighed as she leaned on the end table with one elbow and placed her head in her hand.

"It's not a question of trust. He's just obsessed with the prophecy. A thousand years hasn't helped him, either." Her brow was furrowed, and the saddened look on her face was unmistakable.

"I don't think he even sees me as his daughter anymore. I'm just..." I placed a comforting hand on her arm. She placed her own hand over mine, and I felt an involuntary jerk in my muscles. Her touch was as cold as the harshest winters of Winterhold. She finished with a sigh, "I'm just a means to an end."

I soothingly squeezed her arm, in an attempt of silent reassurance. She mimicked the motion, and I had to refrain from tensing up or twitching. I'd have to get used to that coldness.

I tried to steer the topic away from Harkon and back to the Scrolls. "So where is this Elder Scroll?"

Serana shifted her seating to look a bit more poised and I took it as my cue to withdraw my hand. Serana was a proud woman, and I had to guess that she was trying to avoid looking weak or fragile. She cleared her throat before speaking up, "We have to find my mother, Valerica. She's sure to know where it is. If we're lucky, she'll actually have it herself."

"The thing is... I'm not totally sure where she went. She told me she'd be somewhere safe. Someplace that my father would never search... The thing is the way she said it. 'someplace he would never search'. It was cryptic, yet she called attention to it." Serana had her thinking face on and I leaned back into the stone wall and began thinking as well.

"Your mother is a cautious one." I noted.

"Yeah, she is. I just can't imagine a place my father wouldn't think of searching. He's had all this time, too..." Serana trailed off into thought, and I tried to put myself in the vile vampire lord's shoes. Where would he think not to look? Well, maybe he was arrogant enough to think that she wouldn't hide right under his nose. Perhaps she was in the castle. It was a mad idea, but you never know with an ancient family of vampires.

"What about right in Castle Volkihar?" I suggested, causing Serana to frown for a second, as if to turn me down. Before she could respond, her eyes widened in realization, and she agreed.

"That almost makes sense! There's a courtyard in the castle. I used to help her tend the garden there. All our potion ingredients came from there, too. She used to say my father couldn't stand it there. It was too peaceful. I think it'll be worth a look." The thought was almost amusing. The idea of a vampire lord being repelled by a beautiful garden.

"They won't let us use the front door, though" When I said this, I was hoping she already had something in mind, which she did.

"True. But I know a way we can get into the courtyard without arousing suspicion. There's an unused inlet on the northern side of the island. The previous owners used it to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel from the castle exists there. That's our way in." Serana finished, awaiting my reply.

"Let's get going in an hour or two. Wait for sunset, then we get a move on." My reply seemed to cause Serana to deflate somewhat, as if she was expecting us to leave immediately. "Come on, lighten up. I'm doing this for your sake. The hood makes it bearable, but I know travelling during the day is still taxing for you. And besides... I don't know about you, but I could use a breather." I folded my arms behind my head and leaned further into the wall.

"Sorry, I just..." Serana appeared to try and relax herself before continuing, "I can't wait to see the courtyard again. It was so beautiful. I bet you'll like it too."

I recalled that Serana still hasn't told me much about her mother, and my curiosity got me to ask again. "Were you and Valerica close?"

"Before my father became obsessed prophecy, mother and I spent quite a bit of time together. She was very fond of that garden I mentioned. She taught me a lot about cultivating quality reagents. We got along like the best of friends. I shared everything with her." Serana had a faraway look in her eyes and I could see her tighten her grip on the end table.

"Then it all changed" I added quietly. Serana gave me a sad smile before continuing.

"It was so sudden. One day it was like we were a normal family, and then the next I didn't know who they were. Some days I'd try to visit her in the garden but she'd just shoo me away, saying she was much too busy... She's got to have been up to something in that garden. I'm hoping it'll lead us to her whereabouts"

"I'm sure it will. You never know, maybe we'll get lucky" I smiled in reassurance. "Now get some rest. We have a few hours before we get moving" With that, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax.

_A/N: Hey guys, just a short-ish chapter here today, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Another big thank you to everyone who takes their time to read my little piece of work here._

_If it's not too much to ask, I'd really appreciate more reviews and constructive criticism. It helps me improve the writing and encourages me to increase my work output. I'd really love some feedback. Now I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter, which will be set in Valerica's study. Enjoy the rest of your day, folks. Cheers!_


	6. The Lonely Laboratory

"So this is your mother's laboratory..." I trailed off, staring at the various ingredients scattered about the area. There was probably at least one of every alchemy component in Skyrim in this room. I turned my head to the right to see several shelves lined with books of various sorts.

"That it is... It's bigger than I thought." Serana was walking around, admiring the large room we were in. The most noticeable features of the entire room were the large rings etched into the ground. There was definitely some sort of significance to them, and I bet we'll figure out what that is in a moment.

"It's one heck of a laboratory." I noted, eyeing the shelves of alchemy ingredients as I did. I idly approached one table. It was lined with bones of varied types. Some were from humans, a few from trolls, and who would have thought, dragon bones. Where her mother got dragon bones in Skyrim before Alduin arrived, you could only guess. Maybe she dug up a dragon burial mound? I let my hand run over the dragon bone, and noted it was a rib. A very large rib, rivaling the size of a mammoth's tusk.

"I didn't even know it existed. She had an alchemy setup in her study but it doesn't even come close to this. Judging by the equipment and materials," Serana was walking by a shelf lined with more ingredients and materials. I could only guess what all these things did. I was a very amateur alchemist, after all. "She was trying to advance her necromancy."

Most people in Skyrim deeply frowned on necromancy, excluding the college of course. It was a branch of conjuration that raises the dead to do your bidding. The people, especially Nords, valued their dead and emphasized honoring the dead, and treating them with the utmost respect. I, for one, respect the dead as much as any other man. But if raising the dead or summoning them from Oblivion was going to be a great help to you, then I saw little wrong with it. I was a bit of an 'ends justify the means' type of man. But as long as those means aren't too extreme.

"To what end would she have been advancing it to?" I asked. I was no expert on the field, and it makes one wonder what exactly she wanted to achieve that others could not.

"I don't know. Not longevity, that's for sure." When Serana saw my questioning expression, she added, "Kind of a waste of time for an immortal vampire."

"Could you look around for something to shed some light on this? A journal, maybe. I'm going to look around over here." Serana then turned around and approached another set of shelves. I approached the shelves lined with books and began searching, allowing my mind to wonder to the earlier events.

Getting here wasn't that difficult, I had to admit. But I couldn't say the same for Serana. When we made it to the courtyard, she froze up for a moment. The once serene courtyard lay in ruins. The garden was almost no more. Nightshade was the only thing still living in the garden. And weeds. The look of distress that marred her features struck me, and I was compelled to make an attempt at comforting her. She told me of how it used to be so beautiful and peaceful. She was shaken, like she'd never seen anything so horrible in her life. It was noticeable, the way she trembled slightly as she ran her slender fingers along the Nightshade's stem.

This place was more to her than just a garden that she and her mother worked on. In a way, it was symbolic. This was the peace that resided in the castle, amidst the turmoil that the prophecy created. When Valerica left, taking Serana and the Scrolls with her, Harkon lost it. He took it out on the courtyard, sealing it off from the great hall, and ransacking the garden. And the peace was shattered, never to return. The only way the ordeal was going to end was with one of them, I'd make sure that one is Harkon, dead.

_Ah, here we go._

I grabbed the small leather bound book from the shelves and opened it to the first page. Written in neat, loopy handwriting was Valerica's name. I shut the journal and approached Serana, who was poking around the alchemy shelves, seemingly fascinated by the contents.

"I found your mother's notes." Serana's head snapped in my direction and she eagerly turned away from the shelves to see the journal.

"You did? Let me see them." She snatched the journal from my hands and began flipping through the pages slowly.

"Amazing. My mother figured out how to create a portal to the Soul Cairn. The Soul Cairn is... I'll get to that in a bit. If I'm reading this right, the ingredients should all be here." Serana's eyes never left the journal as she studied its contents. My gaze wandered over to the rings in the ground. That must be the portal to this Soul Cairn thing. No use in rushing to getting her to explain just what that is.

"We need a handful of soul gem shards, some finely-ground bone meal, a good bit of purified void salts..." Serana trailed off and a frown found its way to her face as she growled, "Damn it."

"What's wrong?" This couldn't be good.

"We're going to need a sample of her blood. If we could get that, we wouldn't even be trying to do this in the first place." Serana closed the journal and crossed her arms before pacing back and forth. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully for a moment before coming up with a solution. They were related, so why shouldn't Serana's blood not work?

"You share her blood." I told her. The look on Serana's face lightened and she smiled slightly at the small revelation.

"That could work. Let's hope it does. Mistakes with these kinds of things tend to be...Gruesome. Let's just look around. Everything we need is bound to be here. Mother would be sure to have plenty at hand." I approached the table lined with bones that I was looking at earlier.

The bone meal should be somewhere here. A small sparkle on the table caught my attention, and I found a small golden ring with a shiny ruby.

I picked it up and slid it onto my pinky, since it was rather small. I wriggled my fingers slightly and inspected my hands, trying to figure out the enchantment. After a moment of fiddling with the ring, it began generating a small blue aura around it. A ring of Magicka. Maybe Serana could put it to good use. I turned around and approached her as she examined a table.

"Hey, I got something for you." I held the ring out on an open palm as I got closer. Serana's eyes darted back and forth between the ring and my face.

"Honey, you're not asking me to marry you, are you?" The vampire's teasing tone caused me to stop dead in my tracks, and set off a number of reactions. My cheeks heated up and I became red as a ripe tomato, my mind scrambling for an answer.

_Hey, she called you "honey"!_

I silenced the mocking voice in the back of my head, as I fumbled over my words to form a coherent reply.

"No! I mean, you're attractive and all but that's not the point. Not that I wouldn't ask a nice lady such as yourself! Well. I mean... The point is," My free hand covered my face as the beautiful sound of Serana's laughter reached my ears. At least she was enjoying this. "Just take the damned thing!"

Serana took the ring from my outstretched hand and wore it on her ring finger, the teasing look not leaving her face. "What does it do?"

"You won't wear out as quickly when casting spells." I muttered, avoiding eye contact, lest I turn even redder.

"How thoughtful of you, Mikhael." Serana drawled in an overly-sweet tone. "No, but seriously, Mikhael. Thank you."

Serana gave an appreciative smile, the teasing now absent. I made my way back to the table in search of the bone meal. The troll skull on the table made me think of Gunmar and his battle trolls. Oh, those vampires were in for it.

"You know, being in the undercroft earlier brought back some memories." Serana's conversational tone made me glad that my humiliation was over.

"Oh yeah? You spent a lot of time down there, I take it?" I glanced behind me to see her picking up what appeared to be the soul gem shards, a fond look on her face. I continued rifling about the table in search of the bone meal, patiently awaiting her reply.

"I liked to explore. My parents almost never let me leave the island, so yeah, I poked around there a lot. It was quieter back then." She was probably referring to the death hounds, skeevers, and gargoyles.

"I guess a little girl was enough to scare off the rats." Serana's statement conjured a mental image of a smaller version of Serana with her arms spread wide open as she chased away several rats, giggling all the way. I just barely stopped myself from laughing at the adorable thought, and instead decided to tease her back.

"You sounded like a weird little kid." Serana's response was to throw a soul gem at me, a playful smile present. I easily avoided the projectile and let it shatter on the wall in front of me. I watched the pieces fall onto the table, and right next to the finely-ground bone meal. I grabbed the entire bowl, and brought it up to my face to inspect it.

"Maybe I was. But I think I turned out okay." Came Serana's proper reply as she approached me, soul gem shards in hand. I raised the bone meal for her to see and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"It sounds pretty lonely though." I voiced what just occurred to me. I felt a pang of sympathy for the vampire before me that awkwardly rubbed a hand on her arm as she searched for a response, the cheeriness from earlier wiped away.

"It was. But I guess I got used to it." Serana continued up the stairs, and I silently fell in tow behind her. She set the shards down on the alchemy table and waited for me to set the bone meal down as well. What I said seemed to have stirred something up. Serana seemed rather solemn all of a sudden, and it felt so unlike her. But, I suppose I couldn't really blame her.

"Do you still feel that way?" Serana seemed to lighten up slightly at the sound of my concerned voice. She leaned back against the wall next to the table before replying.

"A little bit... That's one of the reasons I wanted to come with you." Serana's soft, almost shy tone made my heart thump faster than necessary as I smiled at her.

I continued the search for the void salts with Serana following not far behind, assisting me in scanning the shelves. I found it in no time and placed a hand on the bowl, when her own hand landed on mine. For a moment, I was glad for the thick gloves, otherwise, my hand would have jerked back involuntarily from the coldness of her touch and the motion would have offended Serana.

I looked up from our hands to the owner of the hand that rested on mine. In the dim lighting, I could just barely make out the soft look she wore. But of course, her bright orange eyes pierced through the darkness in the most stunning way possible, and I felt my legs weaken at their gaze.

"Do you ever feel like that?" She asked. Her genuine concern, mixed with curiosity, returning the concern I always showed for her, caused my heart to beat faster yet. I had to imagine that little to nobody before myself would ask her how she felt, or how she was doing, or if she was happy, or simply, show that they cared about her. Of course there was her mother, but that probably wasn't the same.

When I thought about it, ever since the death of my parents during the Great War, nobody really showed me any care or concern either. I was never really close to anyone until Serana. There was Jordis and Ysolda, and several other failed conquests, but they were hardly like Serana. Nobody was like Serana. Serana was more than just a woman I wanted to make mine. In the past two weeks of travelling together, I learned so much about her, and began deeply caring for her more than I thought possible, and I think she might feel the same. She was more than just a pretty face

Other than them, I was just the Dragonborn to most people. Or the Listener. Archmage, Harbinger, whatever grand title in Skyrim there was to be had. But nobody took the time to really show that they cared about me or my well being. The closest I ever got to that was the Dark Brotherhood, and how everyone treated each other like a strange little family.

But even then, I became accustomed to always travelling by myself, and not taking followers or companions with me. I was used to working alone, and Serana was the first companion that I travelled with in a long time. The reason for this was because I didn't want blood on my hands. I lived a dangerous life, and people were bound to get killed if they followed me into battle. So I avoided taking people along. Maybe that was one of the reasons I wasn't close to anyone.

"Is it just you, or do you have... People in your life?" Serana reiterated when I did not respond immediately, taking a step closer so we were but inches away.

"I'm used to working alone." I replied automatically. The look that crossed Serana's face didn't go unnoticed, and I regretted my words immediately. She took that the wrong way, and insecurity clouded her features.

"Does it bother you that I'm here?" The hurt in her voice that she tried to hide and the sag of her shoulders as she asked it caused me to send my other hand up on a whim to gently cup her face. The motion caused her to stiffen at first before relaxing and easing her cheek into my gloved palm as she placed her own hand on mine.

_She wants you to enjoy her company._

"Not in the slightest. I'm glad you're here with me." I let my reply come out as a whisper. The whisper effectively wiped away all the distress that marked her face, replacing it with a small, genuine smile. Serana gently lowered my hand from her face to hold both my hands in front of her.

"Me too." She replied as softly as I did. Serana was silent for a few moments as she stared at me. The stare wasn't intense; it was soft. Soft was a word I associated with Serana a lot, I noted. I was glad though. Glad that she could be soft around me without fear of judgment. There was something behind her deep, shining eyes, but I couldn't make out just what that was.

_Trust. And more._

For the first time in forever, I didn't feel like telling the voice in the back of my head to be quiet. Instead, I simply enjoyed the closeness while it lasted, and allowed Serana to continue her thinking. Maybe this was a good sign. Maybe the sort of intimate moment we were experiencing was a step closer to her being emotionally and physically closer to me.

"Before, when things would really get bad between my parents... They would shout and argue, and throw stuff around sometimes. I'd be so scared. I used the undercroft to isolate myself from it all. It sort of helped me cope but it made me feel even more lonely. I know, maybe it sounds a bit stupid, still running and hiding from stuff like that at my age." She wasn't looking at me anymore as she spoke. Her eyes were locked onto the spiky chest piece of my armor.

Loneliness. I looked into her eyes that avoided mine, and it came to me that loneliness is what scarred the deepest recesses of her soul. This immortal girl with a dysfunctional family. This vampire that could crush a man's skull with one hand. Serana, who came into my life, the moment I gave my blood to that pedestal. Serana, who bites her lip when she is deep in thought. Serana, whose bright eyes had Mara's kindness and Talos' strength. Serana, who's greatest fear was winding up alone. Serana, who has come to mean more to me than I could imagine.

It was at that moment when I decided that I would be the one to keep her company. I would make sure she would never be alone. I would be there for her for as long as I could.

"What if I promised you," I leaned my head, taking care not to hit her with my helmet, to rest my forehead against hers, and brought our entwined hands up to chest level. "I will make sure you never feel lonely again."

Hoping Serana wouldn't find the motion too personal, I gently and briefly placed her hand to my lips, as if to seal the promise. Serana flushed, and cleared her throat before speaking, a sad smile making its way to her features, "Don't make promises you can't keep, Mikhael."

Serana slowly parted our hands before suddenly struggling to reach around my armor to wrap me in an embrace. With some difficulty, I wrapped an arm around her midsection. My armor's spikes, derived from dragon teeth and horns, made the hug rather awkward, and I began wishing I picked another set of armor. I didn't stop grinning even after she released me.

"But thank you. Thank you for caring." Serana replaced her sincere smile with a slightly awkward chuckle to get us back on track, "Let's get that portal open."

Serana went for the shards and the bone meal on the alchemy table while I took the bowl of purified void salts. We went for the vessel overlooking the rings where the portal was bound to open. I dumped the void salts inside and gave way for Serana to add the other ingredients. She placed a hand on the vessel and drummed on it for a moment before turning to me.

"The Soul Cairn is a realm in Oblivion ruled by beings called the Ideal Masters. This is where the souls go when you use a soul gem. Necromancers make deals with the Ideal Masters. They give souls, and in return, the Ideal Masters give them powers. But the necromancers often end up duped." Serana explained, her face thoughtful.

"My mother probably came to leave the Elder Scroll but wasn't able to come back. Or maybe she didn't plan on coming back." She continued.

"No telling what's going to happen when I add my blood." Serana stared hard at the vessel, biting her lip as she did. "Are you ready?" She turned from the vessel to look at me.

I thought of Serana's mother, and the role she was to play in all this. I suppose now's as good a time as any to ask about her.

"Can I ask you something first?"

"Of course. What is it." There was something about the way Serana replied immediately that made me feel at ease. The way she didn't need to think before twice before responding.

"What will we do if you find your mother?" The question caused her to give a sad smile, trouble on her face once again.

"I've been asking myself the same thing since we got back to the castle. She was so sure of what we did to my father, I couldn't help but go along with her. I never thought of the cost." Serana sighed, and she smiled sadly once again.

"She always seemed happy before we heard of the prophecy. Then it all changed. They both became different people. I suppose we won't know until we find her." She eyed the floor intently for a moment, then turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to anyone asking how I feel about her." She smiled, the sadness leaving a quickly as it came. "Thank you, Mikhael."

I beamed and gave her a small nod. "Open it up."

"Here goes." Serana raised her hand over the vessel and bit her arm, allowing the blood to drip into the vessel.

The reaction was instantaneous. The rings ripped themselves free from the ground, releasing a great fiery purple glow from underneath. The rings levitated, and rearranged themselves to form a staircase leading down into the bright purple haze. From here, I could feel the coldness emanating from the portal to Oblivion. It was like opening a door to the outside during winter.

"By the blood of my ancestors. She did it!" Came Serana's awed voice. It was quite the sight, I had to admit as I stared into the void below.

I locked my eyes on the entrance to the Soul Cairn, and felt it calling out to me. It was like something was ordering me to come forward and surrender myself to it. I took several cautious steps forward, and let the coldness slowly envelop me.

I gasped when I felt a sharp chill run down my back, as my heartbeat suddenly sped up to impossible speeds. My breathing turned ragged, as my airway constricted itself and I felt nausea take over. My skin was burning up, as if Alduin came back from the depths of Oblivion or wherever he was to roast me alive.

A pair of hands grabbed me by the waist and yanked me away from the portal. Serana gently brought me back to the top of the stairs, and released me when I had control over my feet again. I shivered slightly as the last of the burning sensation left my body, and leaned on the railing for support.

"That looked painful." Serana muttered, turning me to face her as she did. I tore my gaze from the portal to the Soul Cairn to look at her concerned face.

"It was. What just happened?" I evened out my breathing to speak properly.

"Now that I think about it... I should have expected that. Sorry." She placed an apologetic hand on my arm before continuing. "The Soul Cairn is... Hungry, for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment."

I looked at the eerie portal for a moment before replying, "So there's no way in?"

Serana was silent, and she kept her eyes trained on the portal as she went over our options. "There might be, but I don't think you're going to like it."

"Vampires aren't counted among the living, so I could probably go through without a problem..." Serana trailed off, leaving me to put two and two together.

"So you're saying I need to become a vampire?" The thought of becoming a creature of the night like Serana rarely crossed my mind. The last time it did was when I was offered the choice by Harkon.

"Not your first choice, I suppose. There might be another way to... Pay the toll. It wants a soul, so we give it a soul. Yours." Serana's suggestion had me quirking an eyebrow in question.

"Wouldn't that be fatal?" I asked.

"My mother taught me a trick or two. I could partially soul trap you, and offer that gem to the Ideal Masters. It might be enough to satisfy them. But it has its drawbacks... You'll be weak when you enter the Soul Cairn. If I had to guess, very weak. I'm not sure if we'd be able to fix it once we're inside."

I sighed in frustration, and placed a hand to pinch the bridge of my nose as I thought it through. "Those are my only options?"

"I'm sorry," Serana's voice was soothing. "I wish I knew a way that would be easier for you."

"Just know that whatever you choose, I won't think any less of you. Some things just need to be done." Serana crossed her arms, and grew silent, leaving me to my decision.

If I let Serana soul trap me... I couldn't enter the Soul Cairn weak. Being weak was out of the question. I need to be able to protect her from anything that comes our way. And since we were to enter a realm of Oblivion, there was no telling what would await us. Dremora? I shuddered at the thought of the foul beasts. One of the scars in my vast collection came from a Dremora Lord I encountered by a Daedric shrine. It was a simple bounty mission of clearing the place out. I didn't expect a damned Dremora Lord to be waiting for me. I had to be ready for the worst in there.

Vampirism, though... I recalled Harkon's speech. Immortality, and the powers of the night at your fingertips! You carry the strength of a god! Men will tremble as you approach! The power it would bring me was tempting, and admittedly, I was tempted to join Harkon. I rejected the vampire's gift because it was he who offered it. He, who was mad with power, and cared more for an ancient Scroll than his daughter. He, who plotted to block out the sun. I didn't want to join his mad cause, so I turned him down. But vampirism in itself, and given by Serana, on the other hand...

Naturally, such power would have drawbacks. The sun would cripple me, and I saw just how bad that could be first hand. I needed to feed to stop the sun from frying me completely, and to maintain my human appearance. My eyes might prove a giveaway if seen.

_Immortality will help you keep your promise._

And just like that, the choice was made.

"I'll become a vampire." The confidence in my tone as I said it knocked Serana from her thoughts to look at me with some doubt.

"Are you sure? I'm willing to turn you, but you need to think this through. You'd become the very thing you've sworn to destroy, and I don't know how the Dawnguard will react."

By Sithis. The Dawnguard. I nearly forgot about them. I'll just deal with them when the time comes.

"I'm ready." I told her. A small smile rose to her lips and she stepped closer to me, and held me by my arms.

"Turning someone is a very... Personal thing for vampires. It's intimate. For us." I felt my cheeks heat up slightly at the rather sly smile Serana wore, before it was replaced with a kinder one. "I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you into this."

"In that case," I removed my helmet to leave my neck open, and carried it in the crook of my arm. "I'm glad you're the one doing it."

My response had Serana smiling as she said, "Let's not waste too much time, then."

Serana took another step closer, until there was little to no space between us, before adding, "I promise to try and make this as painless as possible. Hold still"

The small comforting smile Serana wore caused me to relax completely, and for that moment, I was just glad that I had her to do this.

Serana leaned in close and buried her face into the side of my neck, nuzzling it. I supposed it was her advanced apology for the pain the act was going to cause. She took several slow breaths with her open mouth, the cool air fanning me. Serana gently ran her sharp fangs across my neck, causing me to shiver, and my back to arch. I groaned quietly at the effect the action had on me. She managed to find time to tease me.

Without further delay, Serana buried her fangs into my neck, and her arms wrapped around my neck. I gasped at the sudden cold sensation that filled my body. It was like falling into a frozen river. Everything felt so cold. My heart, which was beating quickly, suddenly slowed down at an alarming rate, until it stopped completely. Pain seared through my mouth as my fangs began taking shape. My muscles contracted and convulsed as I gained the inhuman strength of a vampire.

My vision darkened, and I could hear a howl in my head as my heart suddenly let out another beat. What was happening? Were the remnants of my beast blood fighting back? After all this time, were they really picking a fight with the invading vampiric blood? My body began to weaken, and I was glad to find Serana supporting me as I leaned into her. My vision continued to blur and darken, until I dropped my helmet and felt myself slip into unconsciousness.

_A/N: Hey there, folks. I'm gonna be honest, I'm not that confident about this chapter. When I re-read it, it seems okay, but at the same time a bit rushed. But it still feels natural. But that's just me. I feel very conflicted about it. What do you guys think? I hope you enjoyed it._

_Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! Shout out to Lyon Vigarde for his incredibly inspirational review! (Don't take it as sarcasm, take it as a joke ;) But in all seriousness, thanks for the fave and for reading :) )_

_The next chapter will be set right after this because I feel that depicting the meeting with Valerica's mother and the following battle will not make an appropriate flashback. I hope you liked this chapter, and the whole story so far, and I hope you stay tuned. Cheers!_


	7. Her Mother's Scroll

_Ugh... My head._

I realized I was moving. My legs were dangling limply off the sides of whatever it was I was riding. A horse? The way the horse would falter in its pace or move irregularly hinted that the rider was inexperienced. My head was turned to the side and my cheek was pressing into whatever it was I was leaning against. I noted that I had my arms draped around it. I squeezed the object experimentally, and found it rather soft.

"Squeeze any higher and I'm kicking you off this horse."

Serana's voice made me snap my eyes open. Indeed, it was good to see that I was just holding her around the waist, so as to not invoke her wrath. We were in the Soul Cairn, I could assume that much. The air was thick, and it made breathing slightly difficult. The ground was cracked, and you could see something, most likely souls, oozing from the fissures. The sky was dark, and displayed the most peculiar shade of purplish-blue. It was eerie, for lack of better word, and the wandering souls didn't help brighten the mood.

When I straightened up, I saw, with much amusement, that Serana was wearing my helmet, which was far bigger than her head. Serana seemed to hear my contained mirth, and turned to look at me.

"You like my new look?" She winked. I laughed heartily and was glad that Serana joined in my merriment. After we quieted down, I began wondering about my turning. Did it change my appearance by much? I heard that vampirism had more physical effect on some people than others. I knew it was such a trivial thing to worry about at the moment, but I couldn't help but wonder: Did I resemble a bat like some vampires do?

Serana released the reigns to take the helmet off and place it on my head, before explaining, "So after you passed out, and I had to carry you in here, the helmet kept slipping off of you. So I had to wear it."

"Do most people pass out when they get turned?" Or was the leftover beast blood the cause of that? Serana picked up on the unspoken second question.

"I could taste the lycanthropy in you, but it was pretty faint. I'm going to guess you 'cured' yourself?" I gave her a hum of affirmation as I gazed at our rather creepy surroundings.

"You can't really cure yourself of something bestowed by a Daedric Prince. Pure blood or half blood, there will always be a part of the soul that harbors the 'gift' they give us. Your lycanthropy put up a fight against the turning but I cleaned it out. So if you were experiencing any side effects prior to that, they should be gone now. Or very inconsistent. Or you could just be visited by Hircine one night and he'll belittle you for your choices. You never know with these Daedric Princes."

"But, yeah. Some people pass out when they get turned. Their bodies can't handle the change, so they faint, and wake up accustomed to the power."

I began wondering about feeding, and how I was going to handle all of that. Perhaps she planned to show me the ropes when we get out of here. It was a unique form of bonding, teaching a new vampire how to feed off of humans. I didn't exactly look forward to it, but as my gaze wandered to Serana's neck, I realized that I felt thirsty, and wouldn't mind learning how to feed. Though, as far as I know, vampires don't feed off of other vampires.

I frowned when I came to the sudden revelation that I didn't possess a horse, and that Shadowmere was staying in The Void. Where did this horse come from? I gently pulled away from Serana to get a better look at the horse, not releasing my arms as I did.

It was nearly completely skeletal, but there was some remaining flesh and muscle present on the beast. Instead of hair, it had flames. Flames as purple and cold as the realm we were in. It was actually quite the sight, and was moving at a decent speed.

"So... Where did you get the undead horse?" I asked curiously, leaning forward to place my chin on Serana's shoulder.

Without looking back, Serana replied, "I saw a man, well, a soul with this horse, and he was yelling and asking me how to get out of here. Since I had no intention of carrying your backside all the way to mother, I took his horse. His name's Arvak, by the way. And no, stealing a soul's horse isn't the nicest thing I've done, but I needed some way to get us around, right?"

I replied with a snicker as I gently patted Arvak's flanks. That soul was horseless for a good cause. The ride quieted down yet again, and I began thinking of the Dawnguard. They weren't going to like my current state, obviously. A cure was out of the question. I was not giving up my immortality and leaving Serana alone. And getting cured, just to be turned yet again, seemed like a waste of time and effort.

It seems Serana read my mind, because she asked, "So what are you going to say to our favorite vampire slayer?"

Isran. He needed to see reason. I was going to make him see reason. If there was one thing I learned in the Bard's College, it was the power of one's words, and how they could sway the minds and wills of the hardest individuals. I just wished I could convince Isran that I was still a useful hunter to him, vampire or not. Maybe I'd even get him to see the advantage of having a vampire on his side.

"I don't know just yet, but I'm going to deal with him. Don't worry about it." I reassured her, and let her focus on the path. If I could get Isran to trust me, then no doubt I could convince the rest of The Dawnguard. And in the off-chance that Isran believes me, while the rest of them don't, Isran would give the order not to put a bolt through my skull.

The undead horse slowed to a trot, before it came to a stop. Arvak snorted and struck the ground with his hooves. I imagined that the horse was protesting its separation from its master.

We stopped in front of a large structure, much like a small castle or a keep. From where we stood, I could see some sort of magical wall or barrier surrounding the building. It was the kind of thing that you'd expect the College of Winterhold to have to keep people out. Or in. Perhaps Valerica was in there. Maybe something trapped her in the building, or she trapped herself to protect her from something or someone.

Serana hopped off the horse without too much difficulty, and I followed. Serana snatched Arvak's reigns when it made a move to turn around. She pulled the reigns to get close to the horse's face.

"Stay here." She ordered in a growl, earning a snort from the horse. Arvak stopped struggling against Serana's grip and she released the reigns. Serana turned to me, giving me a thumb up.

"So if she isn't in there, then I believe it's going to be difficult finding her or the Scroll in this place." She jerked her thumb towards the stairs and chuckled nervously.

I turned to look up the stairs, before asking, "How do you think she'll react to us?"

My question caused Serana to pause, and to rub her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I'd like to think she'll be happy to see me. I can't be sure. You, on the other hand..."

Serana looked me up and down before giving me an amused smile. "Mother told me if I brought a man home, and he wasn't a looker, she would throttle me." She stepped forward to slowly place a hand on my face. "I believe my windpipe is in no danger."

I felt my cheeks heat up at the subtle compliment, and Serana laughed at my reddening face. It was a strange sensation now, I realized. With the coldness that vampirism brought, being flushed made the tingling sensation more prominent. I suppose this was also a confirmation that, no, vampirism did not alter my features much. Serana removed her hand and took a step back, before her expression turned serious.

"But she may not take too kindly to you. She isn't the most trusting type." Serana sighed, her gaze turning to the stairs yet again. "Let's go."

I quietly followed Serana up the steps. When we reached the top landing, Serana broke out into a jog. "Mother!"

There she was. Valerica. She wore the same attire as Serana, and shared some of her features.

"Maker... It can't be. Serana?" Valerica called back, briskly walking to meet Serana and I by the magical barrier.

"Mother, how do we get inside? We have to talk." Serana sounded frantic. Maybe more excited than frantic. Valerica looked back and forth between Serana and I, a hand resting on her sheathed ebony dagger.

"What are you doing here? Where's your father?" Valerica peered over our shoulders, as if expecting Harkon to suddenly appear behind us.

"He doesn't know we're here. I don't have time to explain."

"I must have failed," Valerica's face darkened greatly, and the grip on her dagger tightened. "Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"No, you've got it all wrong." The excitement from earlier was gone, and now frustration began forming on Serana's face. "We're here to stop him, to make everything right!"

At the word _we_, Valerica's eyes locked onto mine. She spoke with controlled anger, "You... You've brought a stranger here? Have you lost your mind?"

"No, you don't under-" Serana attempted to speak up on my behalf, when Valerica cut her off.

"You." She raised a finger at me, "Come forward. I would speak with you."

I obliged and stepped closer to the barrier, crossing my arms over my chest as I did.

"So how is it come to pass that a vampire hunter is in the company of my daughter?" She growled in question, and I was puzzled as to how she figured out that I was with The Dawnguard.

"Oh, what are you so surprised about? I can smell the blood of dozens of vampires on your hands." She said, clearly disgusted.

"It pains me to think you'd travel with Serana under the guise of her protector in an effort to hunt me down." Valerica glared me down, and I didn't have to look to my left to see Serana slowly walking up to stand close to my side. The accusation that my purpose in Serana's life was false admittedly hurt. I reminded myself that she was the girl's protective mother, and I couldn't totally blame her for speaking like she was. I just had to convince her of my true intentions.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke in a controlled tone, "This is no ruse. I want to keep her safe."

As soon as I said this, Valerica laughed, amusement absent from her voice. "Coming from one who murders vampires as a trade, I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble."

"Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you." Valerica's condescending tone pushed on my patience, and I quietly exhaled before replying.

"That's why I'm here for the Elder Scroll." The simplicity of my reply had Valerica frowning.

"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone?" When I did not reply, Valerica sighed, and began to pace. "The Scrolls are merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."

My brow furrowed in confusion, and a glance at Serana verified that she was as perplexed as I was. "What do you mean?"

"When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The Scroll I presume you found with Serana speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow. The second Scroll declares that "The blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the dragon.""

My mind flew to our past, brief conversations about her vampirism, and about what made her different from the average vampire. She received vampirism from Molag Bal himself, and was a pureblooded vampire. Such vampires were called Daughters of Coldharbour.

"The Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood?"

"Now you see why I wanted to protect Serana, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible." Valerica stopped her pacing to stand straight and keep her eyes trained on me, watching my smallest movements.

"So Harkon means to kill her?" Saying the thought out loud made me cringe.

"If Harkon obtained the Bow, and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete." Valerica tore her eyes from me to look at Serana, her expression kinder. "In his eyes, she'd be dying for the good of all vampires."

I looked at Serana, who seemed shaken, but was doing her best to stay strong. I had to admire her for that.

I gently took her hand in mine, and was glad to find her easing her fingers to interlock with my own. I turned back to Valerica, and told her, "I would _never_ allow that to happen."

Valerica frowned at the sight of our joined hands, and her frown deepened when she looked at me. "And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?"

"I'll kill Harkon." I spoke flatly. I've killed people and beasts, ranging from Emperor Titus Mede II, to the World-Eater, Alduin himself. Why should one Vampire Lord be any different from all the other blood on my hands?

Valerica sighed in frustration, before replying, "If you believe that, then you're a bigger fool than I originally suspected. Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans?"

"And Serana's opinion in this?" My reply seemed to anger Valerica further.

"You care nothing for Serana or our plight." Serana tightened her grip on my hand as her mother continued, "Whether or not you've become one of us in order to survive the Soul Cairn, you're still a vampire hunter at heart."

"You're here because we're abominations in your mind. Evil creatures that need to be destroyed." The disgust in Valerica's voice was evident.

While I did believe that when I first joined the Dawnguard, how I looked at vampires changed drastically the moment I met Serana. Serana proved that vampires could be just as human as any other person. Serana was kinder than many I met, and unlike any I met before. She had a heart warmer than most. Figuratively. If Serana was like that, then how could we be so sure all vampires didn't know how to have a heart?

"Serana believes differently." I allowed the woman holding my hand to take the stage.

"Serana?" Doubt crossed Valerica's features. "This stranger aligns himself with those that would hunt you down and slay you like an animal, yet I should entrust you to him?"

Serana squeezed my hand quickly before releasing it and stepping closer to the barrier. "This "stranger" has done more for me in the brief time I've known him than you've done in centuries" The sudden fire in her voice surprised not only Valerica.

"How dare you! I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!" Valerica met Serana's fire with her own.

"Yes, he's a fanatic..." Serana's voice took a soft turn, "He's changed. But he's still my father. Why can't you understand how that makes me feel?"

"The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'd be in terrible danger!" She explained.

"So to protect me, you decided to shut me away from everything I cared about?" Valerica made no move to interrupt Serana. "Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you, too."

Serana grew quiet, and for a moment, I thought she was done speaking. The hurt on her face caused me to gently move my hand to take a hold of hers. She gave me a sad smile, before turning it to Valerica, and continuing, her voice cracking ever so slightly, "I just want us to be a family again. But I don't know if we can ever have that. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us."

"But we have to stop him. Before he goes too far. We need the Elder Scroll." Serana took a small step back from the barrier, and released a breath.

"I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know... I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. The Scroll is yours." Valerica paused, before her soft expression hardened once again as she turned to me.

"Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me. But for Serana's sake, I'll assist you in any way that I can." Valerica bowed her head slightly, and I nodded in response.

"Is the Scroll with you?" I asked.

"Yes. I've kept it safely secured here ever since I was imprisoned. Fortunately, you can breach this magical barrier. You need to locate the tallest of the rocky spires that surround these ruins. At their bases, the barrier's energy is drawn from the souls here. Destroy the Keepers tending them, and it should bring the barrier down."

"We'll return soon."

I turned to leave, when Valerica added, "One more word of warning. There's a dragon that calls itself Durnehviir roaming the Cairn. Be wary of him. The Ideal Masters have him overseeing the Keepers, and it will undoubtedly intervene if you're perceived as a threat."

A dragon. It's been two years since I've slain a dragon. I missed the thrill, I had to admit. The feeling of ducking under a dive attack, ripping my blade through the beast's stomach as I do. The rush of narrowly avoiding a jet of fire.

Serana released my hand and descended the stairs without another word, leaving me with Valerica.

"Be careful. Keep my daughter safe." Valerica's tone was pleading in the slightest, the earlier hostility absent, and I glanced behind me, to Serana who I believed was patting Arvak.

"Nothing will happen to her as long as I breathe." The sureness in my voice eased Valerica's expression. I descended the stairs to catch up to Serana, hearing the faintest "thank you" from Valerica as I did.

I arrived at the bottom to find Serana mounting Arvak and preparing him to leave. "Let's kill those Keeper things and head back to the prison." Serana offered me a hand up, and I took it, allowing her to yank me up onto the horse with a single tug.

We rode in silence towards one of the spires, and I decided to speak up not long after Arvak began cantering. "How are you feeling after talking to your mother?"

"Relieved, I think. All those things had been building for a while. You have no idea how long I wanted to say that to her." Serana's reply was soft, and she seemed to think back on what she said.

"What made you agree to her plan anyway?" I wondered aloud.

"Look, I loved my father, but after he discovered the prophecy, it became his life. Everything else... Even mother and I, we just became clutter. I was close with my mother, but she just kept feeding me her opinions of him, and eventually I started believing them."

Serana sighed, before continuing, "After we became vampires, they just didn't think about family anymore. "Power takes precedence," he always said."

_Power takes precedence._

I was reminded of that vampire back in Dimhollow Crypt. The vampire seemed to be in charge of the expedition there to locate Serana and her Elder Scroll. His brutality and disregard for the wellbeing of his comrades was a perfect example of the saying. He was willing to slay his own allies if it meant pleasing Harkon and gaining power in the court.

"I just got caught in the middle. Honestly, it took me up until now to figure out that my mother was really just as bad as he was. He was obsessed with power, she was obsessed with seeing her fail. It was just so... Toxic."

Serana was silent, and she slowed Arvak down as we got closer to the first rocky spire. "Maybe I should have seen this coming. We could all be better off now."

I tightened my grip on Serana's waist, and nuzzled her neck, saying softly, "You shouldn't blame yourself. Things would have gone downhill even if you saw it coming."

Serana pulled Arvak to a halt and released the reigns. She gently removed my hands and turned to face me. "Thank you."

She hopped off the undead stallion's back, and I landed beside her. Arvak stomped the ground in protest once again, but made no move to escape.

Serana began moving closer to the spire when I gently stopped her by grabbing hold of her arm. "For what, exactly?"

Serana faced me, and held my hand with both of hers, "For caring."

I grinned at the simplicity of her response and let her continue, "I'm glad you're here with me. I don't think I could be doing this alone."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Serana." My reply earned a soft chuckle, and I was pleased to see her in better spirits. "Now let's kill these Keepers."

I slowly advanced towards a ruined wall, and pressed my back against the surface. I peered over and found several souls standing in place idly. In their center was what could only be the Boneyard Keeper. It stood at least two feet taller than I, and was clad head to toe in dragon bone armor, easily the toughest armor in Skyrim, and probably this Cairn. A large dragon bone battleaxe was slung over its armored back, and I knew Serana and I were in for quite the fight.

"Just keep pelting him with ice spikes, and keep the bonemen, if any, off my back." Serana nodded sharply at my command, and I commenced the attack.

I drew my crossbow and fired once, jamming the bolt into the Keeper's thick armor. It stumbled slightly from the impact and quickly unsheathed its great battleaxe. I slung the crossbow on my back and drew my Blade of Woe in my left and my dragon bone sword in my right. I sprung from cover, Serana following close and flinging ice spikes at the behemoth. The ice spikes could only penetrate the thick armor so much, and I wondered for a moment if it was truly armor, or the beast's thick skin.

Several skeletons began pulling themselves free from the piles of bones surrounding us, and Serana got to work with dispatching them.

The Keeper raised its axe high, and I dashed to its left hacking at the thick dragon bone as I did. The heavy axe stuck itself into the ground and the Keeper troubled itself with yanking it free, while I dealt several more cuts to its back.

My blades were penetrating the armor easier than expected, and for that I was grateful. The Keeper abruptly freed the axe and spun around, aiming to rip me in half. I ducked under the swing and executed a roll to put me behind it. I slashed at the back of its knees, causing it to stumble backwards. It raised its axe once again, and I took a step back before shouting.

"TIID KLO UL"

Time bended to the sound of my voice and slowed down around us. I took the opportunity to swiftly strike the Keeper several times before plunging my sword hilt deep into its chest. When it still didn't drop, I dug my dagger into its helmet.

The Keeper collapsed into a pile of armor and black smoking ooze. I stared at the substance on the ground as I sheathed my blades, Serana walking up to me as I did.

"That wasn't too bad." Serana muttered as she dusted herself off.

"Let's hope the others aren't much trouble either." I replied, and led the way back to Arvak, who watched us impatiently.

The other two Keepers were taken care of similarly, and without too much of a hassle. The second fell the same as the first, and the third was sent flying off a tower with a shout of unrelenting force. Within no time, we rode Arvak back to the ruins where Valerica was now free.

"You destroyed the Keepers. Most impressive..." Valerica trailed off and began walking to the door towards the back.

"The Scroll is this way. Follow me." We did us instructed and fell in step behind Serana's mother as she pushed the large door open.

The door swung open and we entered a large open area, filled with several mounds of bones and a view of the eerie purple sky. A great roar suddenly echoed throughout the entire Cairn, and I heard the might beat of the dragon's wings as it approached us.

"It's Durnehviir. Ready yourselves." Valerica drew her dagger, and Serana and I readied our own weapons.

It landed with a loud thud on the tower opposite us. Durnehviir bared his massive teeth at us and angled his wings for an easy takeoff. The dragon was about the size of Odahviing, just larger than the average dragon. His green scales stopped just at the sharp tip of his tail, where you could see bone protruding. His scales were... Corroding. There was a green liquid oozing from the beast's mouth and several other parts of his body. The yellowish tinge on his deadly horns was another sign of his age.

Durnehviir seemed to set his eyes on me, and roared in the deep voice all dragons possess, "Dovahkiin!"

The undead dragon reared his head up and spewed purple balls of necromantic energy. The piles of bones were struck, and bonemen began to rise.

"Handle the dragon, we'll deal with the skeletons!" Serana yelled, just as Durnehviir leapt off the wall, and dived for me, his wings spread to give him greater speed.

Durnehviir's jaws opened up to rip into my flesh, and I performed a roll, effectively getting clear of the attack. At the end of the roll, I swung with my sword, and hit my mark, the material ripping into the dragon and drawing blood. Durnehviir landed roughly on the wall behind me, and took to the air.

Durnehviir hovered above me and opened his mouth, readying a shout. The only clue as to what the shout was, was the bluish glow emanating from his maw. I licked my lips and prepared to battle his Thu'um with my own.

"FOH KRAH DIIIIIIIIIN"

"YOL TOOR SHUUUUL"

The great roar of my dragon soul echoed throughout the ruins to match Durnehviir's own roar. My fire met his ice, and battled in the space between us, sending out flames and jets of ice in random directions. Within moments, my fire overpowered Durnehviir, and scorched his face as he growled angrily.

Durnehviir dashed back to the first small tower, and fired out several more balls of raw energy to raise the dead yet again. He took to the air again, going very high above us, as if trying to touch the sky. He shouted. I couldn't make out the words, but they sounded unfamiliar to me.

I looked up questioningly as clouds suddenly began to form above the boneyard, and a hundred small shadows began racing for us. As the first struck the ground, I belatedly realized that it was a storm of ice spikes. My eyes widened, and I rushed to Serana and Valerica, who stood back to back.

I shoved my blades back into their sheathes and raised my hands, creating a ward. Serana and Valerica mimicked the action, and the ice spikes harmlessly smashed against our magical barrier. Next came the problem that I was no mage, and my ward soon wore down, leaving me open. The bonemen were now resurrected and began converging on us, and Durnehviir seemed to be flying back to us.

"Cover each other!" I ordered, and Serana generated a ward with one hand and cut up a boneman with her free hand. Valerica switched roles with her every so often, and I would have made a joke about their sudden cooperation, had time allowed it. I unsheathed my blades and cut down a pair of skeletons among the sea of undead easily.

Durnehviir drew closer and closer, and I could tell he intended to swallow me whole. As the dragon nearly collided head first into the ground, he swooped upwards, straight at me.

I dropped flat onto my back, raising only my dagger. The blade embedded itself into Durnehviir's flesh, and my firm grip sent me flying with Durnehviir. I could hear Serana's surprised yell from here, high up in the air, on the belly of the undead dragon.

I could hear Durnehviir curse in his native tongue, which I didn't understand. It made me recall how Alduin would insult me for not knowing the tongue of the dovah.

I clung onto the dragon's midsection for dear life with my legs. Taking my sword, I stuck it into Durnehviir's chest, eliciting a loud roar. I yanked my dagger free, and jammed it into the dragon once again. I repeated the process to get closer to the beast's neck, as he desperately tried to shake me off, executing several dives and rolls.

In no time, I was on the underside of his neck. I took my dagger and jammed it into the side of Durnehviir's muscular, decaying neck, earning another roar from the furious dragon. I freed my sword and swung myself up onto his neck, successfully mounting the undead dragon.

He swung his neck around wildly in his feeble attempt to shake me off. I carefully scurried over so I was all the way on Durnehviir's head, my position very unsteady. By now we were close to the ruins once again, still high up in the air, and he was supposed to attempt a landing.

I raised my sword high and held it in a reverse grip, causing the dragon to shout in panic, "Dovahkiin! No!"

I silenced the dragon by impaling my sword through the top of his snout all the way through the bottom of his chin. Durnehviir's flight began to grow unsteady, and his wing beats faltered. As I raised my dagger to finish Durnehviir off, it occurred to me that only a madman would slay a dragon while riding him high above the ground. Maybe a little bit of Sheogorath rubbed off on me the last time we met.

I plunged my dagger hilt deep into Durnehviir's eye, and into his brain, killing him. Durnehviir grew limp, and we began to descend rapidly. The vector of our landing was a diagonal descent. A very rough crash landing. Maybe I should have waited for us to descend before ending the dragon?

I pulled both my blades upward to raise Durnehviir's head, and I wrapped my legs around his spiky neck, bracing for the impact.

We crashed through a small tower, sending rubble and rock every which way, the dragon's head taking most of the impact. We roughly landed in the middle of the courtyard as the tower collapsed, sending dust and dirt into the air. I was sent flying off Durnehviir's head the moment we hit the ground, and I performed a poor roll in an attempt to lighten the impact, my head smacking onto the ground.

"Mikhael!?" Came Serana's concerned cry. From my position lying on the ground, I quickly inspected myself for any grave injuries, and was pleased to find nothing worse than a bad headache from the rough landing. I shakily sat up and pushed myself up to my feet, and moved to Durnehviir's corpse, which was soon burning up and dissolving into the air. Instead of the energy transferring to me, Durnehviir's soul shot up into the sky.

I picked my weapons up from the ground Durnehviir once lay on, and sheathed them. I turned around to walk out of the dust that enveloped the area. I couldn't take one step before Serana charged into me, knocking me back to the ground. She enveloped me in a tight hug, and her firm grip made me belatedly realize I may have bruised a rib or two in the crash.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I had to repeat over and over as Serana looked me up and down for injury, not releasing me from her hug as she did.

"Are you insane?!" She yelled, her grip tightening even more than I thought possible. She loosened the hug when she felt my discomfort, and looked at my face, wiping some dirt from my cheeks as she did. Her fiery eyes were glassy, and it only occurred to me now just how much I scared her when I crashed with Durnehviir.

"Don't... Don't do anything like that again. Please." She buried her face in the crook of my neck, and I was genuinely surprised by her actions. She was horrified by the thought of losing me, that much was obvious. The idea that I nearly got myself killed shook her to the core and reduced her from the strong, proud woman she was to this small bundle of worry in my arms. As I soothingly rubbed Serana's back, I found myself smiling at how much I now mean to her. There was something about the way Serana sat on my lap, face buried in my person, arms wrapped around my neck, that made me feel so content. And I had to convince myself to get up.

"I won't. Now, come on. Your mother might find our proximity scandalous. She'll finish what Durnehviir started." I joked, causing her to chuckle softly. I stood up and pulled Serana to her feet. We dusted ourselves off. Serana straightened her robes and rubbed at her eyes, trying her best to look composed.

We stepped forward together, hand in hand, to find Valerica pacing, awaiting our return.

"You're unharmed. Good. And you slew Durnehviir. I never thought it possible." Was Valerica's impressed reply.

She began walking towards the far end of the boneyard, motioning for us to follow, and explaining the reason for her astonishment as she did, Serana never releasing my hand as we walked.

_A/N: Hey, guys. I'm glad everyone loved that last chapter, and I believe it is my most well received chapter yet. A big thank you to everyone who's been reading and taking the time to review, fave, or follow._

_Now I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much, whether it be Mikhael and Valerica's first meeting, the fight with Durnehviir, or MikhaelxSerana goodness, or the chapter as a whole. Please stay tuned, and I will have the next chapter up next week. It will focus on Mikhael and the Dawnguard, and the Moth Ritual._

_On another note, have you folks tried Bioshock Infinite? I loved it, personally. It's got to be one of the best games I've played. I'm sort of thinking of another Dawnguard centric multichapter fic branching from the Kindered Judgement quest, where I pull a Bioshock Infinite inspired twist. I'll start it, if ever, after I finish Keeper. What do you guys think?_


	8. The Reasons and the Ritual

We left the Cairn and proceeded back to Fort Dawnguard. Valerica refused to return to Tamriel with us, saying she didn't want to increase the risk Harkon of bringing the Tyranny of the Sun to fruition. I told her that we'd come back for her when Harkon's head rolls.

Before we actually left the Cairn though, Durnehviir was resurrected, and spoke to me like a brother-in-arms would. No hard feelings. He wanted me to shout his name in Skyrim to summon him back to the world of the living. Throughout the duration of the journey back to the fort, I had called for Durnehviir twice, and both times he taught me words for the Soul Tear shout. It was a very powerful shout, ripping the soul from a person or beast, trapping the soul, killing them in effect, and resurrecting the corpse.

We travelled by night, to make it easier for both of us. When we first left the castle, I got my first taste of the sunlight as a vampire, and learned firsthand the effect it caused.

I felt tired, lethargic, and very weak. At the pace I walked, you'd think someone tied steel balls to my feet to slow me down. For that reason, Serana and I stayed by the undercroft, in the shade, for the day. We moved out at night as much as possible, and we passed by Dragon Bridge. Young Clinton Lylvieve was already asleep, so we didn't pay the lad a visit, and instead let him rest.

Serana and I stopped by a random mineworker's home. Sneaking and being invisible was no problem for me. I was a master of the art of not being seen. We easily made it in and found the residents sound asleep.

Here, Serana taught me how to feed off of the sleeping, without waking them, or killing them. It was a simple matter of making a small prick in their neck, and drinking. I was actually surprised at how simple the procedure was. A vampire's fangs were so sharp, that when they pierce the flesh, it is close to impossible to feel. Turning another person, on the other hand, was something different altogether, and Serana did not want to demonstrate.

That night wasn't necessarily the first taste of blood I've ever had, taking into consideration all the man, mer, and creatures I've slain up close. But it was the first time I took it as a drink. A thick, satisfying drink dribbling down my throat. Blood was bitter, and metallic, yet at the same time, sweet. It was something else. Feeding gave such a pronounced feeling of fulfillment and pleasure. The blood was warming. It made me feel different. It made me feel almost alive again, not like the cold, undead vampire I was now. It was addicting. I couldn't get enough of the stuff. I had to stay in control and avoid drinking the man dry.

We left the house satisfied, and with me looking much more human. How Serana could fast from blood for hundreds of years without her appearance becoming bat-like was a mystery to me.

Serana told me that I also possessed the ability to turn into a Vampire Lord, but said that it was a lesson for another day. Apparently, she wasn't fond of using the form.

We stopped by Whiterun very briefly, to pick up the Dragon Elder Scroll from Breezehome. We hit the road shortly after, travelling by foot, a scroll strapped to each of our backs.

We eventually arrived at Fort Dawnguard during midday after a few days of travel. Naturally, Serana and I were held up the moment we stepped past the gates. There was Ollrod, Ingjard, Vori, and Durak, geared up and aiming crossbows at us.

"Let's just kill them. Come on. Just one bolt for each of them! That's all we need! It'll be quick!" Ollrod snarled in my direction, and I let out a feral hiss in response.

"We can't shoot them just like that." Was Durak's firm reply. "They're on our side. Mikhael's been running around Skyrim trying to stop the vampires ever since I found him. His vampire friend has been helping him too. I don't know about you three, but I don't see vampires here."

I raised a questioning brow at Durak, and he continued, lowering his crossbow as he did, "I see allies."

My confusion turned into a grateful smile, and I felt Serana's tension ease slightly.

"He stopped being an ally the moment he became one of them!" Ollrod spat.

"Oblivion! I'd say he turned his back on us when he let _that_ in!" The Nord jerked his head in Serana's direction. "I bet she's trying to get him to join them Volkihar vampires."

"Oh, yes. I bet this is all your doing." Ollrod trained his sights on Serana, and I stepped forward to stand in front of her. I was hit with the overwhelming urge to lunge forward and rip the man's throat out. It took a great deal of self control to stop myself from doing so.

"Vampires have never been good news." Vori muttered quietly in agreement, raising her crossbow to point it at me.

"Vori, think about it... Maybe Durak is right. I know we kill vampires for a living, but they've been a big help to us. Doesn't that make a difference?" Ingjard spoke up, slowly lowering her crossbow.

Ingjard, Ollrod, and Vori then began arguing amongst themselves about putting us down, whilst Durak was simply eyeing the floor and rubbing his thin, grey beard. Since they were all rather preoccupied, I turned to Serana, who nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she bit her lip. She caught my gaze, and mouthed 'sorry' before looking away.

Sorry? What could she be sorry for?

I stepped closer to take hold of her hand, but Serana simply moved her hand away and looked at me with sadness in her eyes.

"This is my fault. I shouldn't have told you vampirism was an option. If you just went with the soul gem, there wouldn't be vampire hunters arguing whether or not to kill us both." She whispered, the regret clouding her eyes as they broke away from mine.

"Don't say that. I don't blame you for anything. I have no regrets. I would have picked vampirism over the soul gem any day. We'll get out of this just fine. Trust me." As the last words left my mouth, I could sense Serana slowly relaxing.

"I trust you." She said quietly. I gently raised two fingers to bring her face up to look at me. Her eyes caught mine once again, before snapping to look behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Durak looking at us, his face clearly indicating he was still thinking.

I stepped back so we weren't too close. "In that case, we won't have any problems."

The corners of her lips tugged upwards in a small smile, and I felt at ease knowing her doubt and regret were fading once again.

Durak looked at the three bickering hunters, and then at Serana and I. With a sigh, he pushed Ingjard, who bumped into Ollrod and Vori, effectively stopping the argument. The three glared at the Orc, but did not speak up.

"We'll let Isran decide if they live or die." Durak said with a tone of finality. Durak was their senior, and I knew that they had to do as he said. It would be insubordination if they went against his command.

"But Durak! They are the very beings we've sworn to destroy!" Ollrod protested, causing the Orc to roughly shove Ollrod towards the Fort.

"We're escorting them to Fort Dawnguard. That's an order! Another word and I'll have your tongue!" He snarled at the younger of the two, who looked away dejectedly.

Durak began barking orders at the three of them, having Ingjard stay to watch the gate. Vori was to bring up the rear, and keep her crossbow trained on us. Ollrod and Durak walked at the front on the way back to the Fort.

Now I had to worry about dealing with the big man. Was he going to smash my head in before I have the chance to speak? Kill Serana and I without second thought? Throw our bodies in with the rest of the vampires and torch us?

_No. He will see reason._

We passed by numerous hunters on the way, who began whispering amongst themselves and eyeing us. There were several calls of "vampires!" and "foul beasts!", but I did my best not to pay them any attention. That was hard though, considering they began following us into the fort. Several drew their weapons, and those with crossbows aimed at us. Celann vigilantly stood by the doors and his eyes widened at the sight of us.

"You aren't welcome here as long as you're one of them." He growled at me, raising a sword as he did. Durak stopped Celann from causing any harm by raising a hand to stop him and explaining that he was taking us to Isran.

Celann shot me a dirty look before unbarring the entrance. The great doors swung open, and we found ourselves in the entrance hall. Durak led Serana and I to stand under the sunlight. An involuntary hiss slipped through my lips as the warm rays bathed me. Serana was silent, being more used to this than I.

Ollrod walked up the stairs to go find Isran, just as Gunmar and Sorine casually strolled in from the dining hall. They came to an abrupt stop upon seeing us. The pair approached us, their faces torn.

"Oh... Mikhael, what did you do to yourself?" Gunmar muttered under his breath, taking in the sight of my paling skin and glowing eyes, his hand covering his mouth that was probably agape.

"No. It can't be... But it is. I did not see this coming." Sorine, as analyzing as always, stated. The two red haired hunters slowly walked around us, looking us up and down.

"If your life is still of any value to you, you'd be smart not to let Isran see you." Gunmar said.

Gunmar's tone was hard to place. It wasn't condescending, or pitying. It was like he hated to see me like this, because he was seeing the thing he hated the most, in me, a fellow hunter. But he didn't want to hate me. For sure Gunmar and Sorine heard from Isran what Harkon was planning. They've got to have heard what I had been up to. There has got to be some underlying respect for me here.

"I agree. I mean... You've done a lot for the Dawnguard, and I'd hate to see Isran take your head off. But why did you have to go and-" Sorine didn't get to finish, as Ollrod came running down the stairs, to eagerly stand next to Durak, grinning ear to ear as he did. Isran's heavy footfalls followed and he soon made his way to the center of the hall, his death glare centered on me. Gunmar gently pushed Sorine to the side, and stepped back himself to let Isran take the floor.

"So you've returned. You've returned as a monster." Isran's angry voice filled the hall, and silenced the chatter among the other hunters that began to gather around the area.

"Isran, you must let me speak." I pleaded, making sure not to sound pushy, as it would only agitate him further.

"You pledged to my cause to put down these vile beasts, and you return to me as one of them. What could you possibly say to stop me from killing you right here?" The Redguard growled.

"I let your vampire, _Serana_, walk my halls freely. I allow you to carry on, running around Skyrim to stop some prophecy that we aren't even sure about, instead of having you work in the Fort. _This_ is how you repay me?" It was then that I sensed the betrayal in his voice. Perhaps the man was being a bit dramatic, but given his deep rooted hatred for vampires, maybe he was entitled to it.

"Were you the root of all this? Did you convince him to become one of you?" Isran turned his glower to Serana, who shrunk ever so slightly at his gaze.

"Isran, please. Allow me to explain." I tried again, only to have him stop me with a scoff.

"It will only waste my time." Isran slowly turned around and took a few steps, hands on his hips as he sighed. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it by now. The fact that I was still standing was evidence enough that he wasn't too keen on putting me down. I still have a chance.

Isran grunted in frustration and spoke without turning to face me, "If you leave right now, and get a cure, I will welcome you back."

"I can't," I lied. "If I get blooded by a Daughter of Coldharbour, Falion's cure would be useless."

I could feel Serana tense up beside me, but she did not protest. Isran turned around, his face showing his horror.

"Is this true?" Isran asked Serana, who nodded hesitantly, causing him to snarl, "This is all your fault, vampire."

The big man took an intimidating step forward, causing me to stand between Serana and Isran. I was glad that I was taller than Isran by an inch or two. It helped me look less intimidated by the angry vampire slayer.

"Off with their heads!" Ollrod yelled. Many other hunters gave yells of affirmation, and the sounds of weapons sliding from their sheathes began ringing out.

I turned my head slightly to look at the Dawnguard hunters. Ollrod was the most vocal, throwing insults in my direction and waving his axe around. Several others, including Vori and Beleval, spun their weapons around as they glared at us and called for our blood. Then there was Sorine and Gunmar, who looked conflicted, and were not keen on seeing me dead. The priest was nowhere to be found. Durak stood next to the duo, an agitated expression on his features.

I think I understood why Durak treated me the way he did. He was an Orc, and Orcs deeply value honor. Durak finds killing me, even if I was a vampire, after all the help I provided, dishonorable. He would not stand with those that demanded Serana and I's death.

Serana grabbed hold of my hand. She was shaking. I couldn't blame her though. She could probably handle several hunters by herself, but the whole Dawnguard against just the two of us? The odds were not exactly in our favor. I needed to remain composed and keep my head on. For her.

"Isran." I spoke again, this time louder, and bolder. My voice cut through the yells and shouts like a hot knife through flesh, and just like that, they were silenced. Isran recognized my tone and crossed his arms. My tone demanded respect, attention, and an unbiased ear. I could only hope he was capable of giving them all.

"Divines." Isran muttered under his breath. "Alright, explain yourself."

I gave Serana's hand a firm squeeze before I released it, and proceeded to walk behind her, gritting my teeth at the strain the sun was putting on me. I unstrapped the Scroll from her back, and yanked my own Scroll free. The Elder Scrolls in my hands were heavy, but the vampiric strength aided in carrying the burdens.

I raised the Dragon Scroll, "The Elder Scrolls are no laughing matter. They should be taken seriously. The Scrolls can be totally unpredictable, and wield power, power we barely understand, power far greater than that of any man or mer. This is my Elder Scroll. Much of my blood and sweat was put into locating this Scroll. Without this, I would not have defeated Alduin, the World-Eater."

I paused, allowing them to swallow the fact that I was the Dovahkiin of legend. Some already knew this, but others were clueless. I lifted the Blood Scroll before continuing.

"This is the Elder Scroll that was in the possession of Serana's mother, Valerica. This Elder Scroll dictates that "The blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the dragon." Recalling the last Scroll regarding Auriel's Bow, a weapon that I believe we all can agree we don't want to see in the hands of the Volkihar clan."

There were scattered murmurs of agreement. I had to imagine that the others heard of the reading, and one thing led to another, and everyone was in on the prophecy business.

"If the Bow is stained with Serana's blood, or Valerica's, and fired at the sun, we would face an eternal night." I decided to press on to intimidate the other hunters, "Eternal night, where vampires roam the land. They would be free to hunt down the people. They could easily find our families, our friends, our lovers, and they could just _drink them dry_. Drink them 'til they're nothing but a pile of skin and bones!"

Some of the hunters looked away from me, and probably reflected on those they had lost at the hands of vampires. I continued, "Oh, yes. They would do it to get to us. Because all that stands between the vampires, and eternal night, is us. We, The Dawnguard. We are the last line of defense against the vampires."

"But we would not have known this, had it not been for Serana and her mother. If not for their cooperation, Harkon, leader of the Volkihar vampires, would have gotten Valerica. With Valerica, he would have gotten the Scroll, and the blood of Coldharbour's daughter. Then he would proceed to find my Elder Scroll. With all that, Harkon could locate Auriel's Bow, and end the sun as we know it."

"That isn't the case, however! Thanks to Serana here, we have the Elder Scroll of Blood!" There were several mutters of approval. "And I have the Dragon Scroll. Now we can locate the Bow before Harkon does, and stop him."

Isran raised a hand to stop me from continuing, and spoke, "I have come to believe that the prophecy is no joke, and I appreciate all that you and _Serana_," Isran appeared to have a hard time referring to the vampire by name. "Have been doing to further our campaign against the vampires."

Isran's face went from grateful to frustrated, and he went on."But that doesn't explain why you've become _this_."

"To get to Valerica, we needed to enter the Soul Cairn. The Soul Cairn is a realm in Oblivion, where souls go after they are used in soul gems. Valerica was trapped by the "Ideal Masters". These are the rulers of the Soul Cairn."

"I, a mortal, could not enter the Cairn just like that. It tried to take my life essence as payment for entrance. The only way to get through was to partially soul trap me, or become a vampire."

Before I could continue, Isran snapped, "Then use the soul trap! How was that a hard decision?"

I quietly inhaled and exhaled to keep my calm, and continued, "The soul trap would have weakened me greatly. To what extent, I can't be sure. I wasn't willing to risk it. Who here has been to Oblivion?"

I spoke when nobody else did, "The realms of Oblivion are a very hostile, inhospitable places. Well, perhaps New Sheoth in Sheogorath's Shivering Isles isn't all that bad. But most of the others are terrible! With Daedra and other spawns of evil that have no other goal other than to rip you to pieces!"

"I couldn't afford to enter the Soul Cairn as a weak man. In the Cairn, I faced these man like creatures, Boneyard Keepers. They stood several feet taller than me, and were clad in dragon bone armor! A crossbow's bolt was but a pinprick to them! They wielded dragon bone weapons to match. The dullest dragon bone dagger can still cut through the toughest armor."

"If I went in there as a pathetic, weak milk drinker, then I wouldn't have stood a chance against the Keepers. I would have died, and Harkon would have eventually found Valerica. Then one thing leads to another, and the madman has both scrolls, and the sun in the palm of his hand."

"I did not want to take that chance. So I became a vampire. A half-blood. Because of this, I slew the Keepers, the dragon guarding them, and secured the Scroll. It was a necessary evil."

"We're fighting a war against the Volkihar vampires. The Bow, along with Serana's blood, is the key to the war. I don't say Valerica, as she is in the Soul Cairn, and nothing will lead Harkon to her. His head will roll before he hears of her whereabouts. Vampires working with The Dawnguard has its advantages. You can learn from us, and it may be easier to hunt other vampires down in the future. My turning into a vampire is just another necessary sacrifice in this war. And with this sacrifice, we're another step closer to stopping the Volkihar, and saving the sun."

I stopped, and let my words sink in. I allowed them to let it mull it over as I strapped the Scrolls back onto Serana's back and my own. My gaze washed over each hunter, and I observed the changes in their expressions and the thinking behind their eyes.

As the silence began to carry on for a bit too long, the sound of a sword being sheathed echoed throughout the hall. It was Beleval, the Wood Elf. She bowed her head in respect, and placed a fist over her heart.

The other hunters began mimicking her, the pleasing sound of sheathing weapons reaching my ears, until only a few still had their weapons drawn. Naturally, Ollrod was among the hunters that looked out for blood. He was gritting his teeth and glaring daggers at me, his axe shaking in controlled rage.

I looked at the man in front of me, who stared calculatingly. As I looked back at Isran, I could see my fiery eyes reflected in his own. I realized that it was something that I would be noticing from now on. Instead of just seeing one's eyes, I'd see my own reflected in them. And the hungry vampiric fire that threatened to consume everything.

Isran's hard face softened, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed in frustration. The Redguard turned around and took several steps to put space between us.

"Stendarr preserve us." I heard him mutter. He faced me, before giving his verdict, "You're free to stay. You're still useful to us, and you're our best hope at stopping the prophecy." Isran paused before looking at Serana, and gulping, as if to prepare himself for his next words, "That goes for you too, Serana."

He set his hatred aside. He was opening his mind. He was finally looking at the bigger picture. I let out a sigh of relief, and felt Serana's tension disappear. She gave Isran a grateful, toothy grin, which he responded with an attempt to smile, which just turned into a grimace. Had the other hunters not been calling for our death moments earlier, I would have laughed at his reaction.

Isran turned to face the hunters gathered around us, his face hard once again, "If anyone here lays a finger on them, I will personally feed them to Gunmar's trolls. Am I understood?"

The Redguard was given calls and yells of affirmation in response, of varying levels of enthusiasm. The hunters began to disperse, until only a few remained in the hall.

I was glad that everything turned out well enough, considering how badly this could have ended. Convincing Isran really took the cake, though. If I failed to convince him... I imagined that it would have ended rather messily, with everyone in the hall dead or dying. But I did it. I was safe. _We_ were safe.

"I suggest you speak to the Moth Priest about the Scrolls. His condition is... Concerning." Isran turned about and headed for the stairs, leaving me to wonder about what he meant.

"What condition?" I called to him, and he didn't stop as he responded.

"You'll see. Now, don't make me regret my kindness!" Isran yelled before he began walking up the stairs.

"I won't!" I called back.

Durak approached the exit behind me, to return to his post by the gate. On the way, he clapped a hand on my arm. "Try not to wind up any more dead than you already are."

The Orc left without another word, and the other two gate guards followed Durak out. I caught Ollrod's eyes, which burned with a passion. A passionate hatred for vampires. A senseless hatred stemming from the notion that all vampires are evil, and should be eradicated, no matter what. It was only at this point that I really distinguished Ollrod and Isran's hatred. What Isran did, he did because of what he felt was his duty to protect Skyrim and her people from threat, that threat being vampires. Isran was the best at killing vampires, so he took it as his personal mission to stop the vampires. They were what stood between him and his ultimate goal, and that was what fueled his hatred.

I couldn't be a hundred percent sure about this. Perhaps there was more to it than that. I only knew Isran so much, after all. But looking at where Isran once stood, and at Ollrod's fiery glare, it just made sense. If two vampires would help Isran stop the rest of the bunch from putting out the sun, then what was the problem in that? Isran now understood this. Or maybe, he now accepted this.

But Ollrod was something different altogether. He reminded me of Rolff Stone-Fist, who would accuse the Dunmer of Windhelm for practically all that was wrong in Skyrim. Maybe Ollrod's hatred was more justified, as vampires really were frowned upon, regardless if you're in Skyrim, Morrowind, or Cyrodiil. But that didn't mean that vampires couldn't be of help to the Dawnguard's cause.

As Ollrod passed by us, his glare averted and he forcefully rammed his shoulder against Serana's, causing her to lose balance and fall.

"Oh, sorry about that." He drawled sarcastically. I growled angrily and grabbed the younger Nord by the shoulder and turned him to face me. I wrapped my hands around his neck, my thumbs applying pressure to his windpipe.

"Do that again, and I'll rip your head off." I snarled at him and bared my fangs.

"I'd like to see you try, traitor." Ollrod struggled against my grip as he growled back. I felt a pair of hands pull my arms off of him, causing him to stumble backwards.

It was Gunmar. I glared at the larger man before looking back at Ollrod, who had a hand massaging his neck.

"I'll beat you to death, boy." My final snarl had Ollrod slowly leave the hall, not breaking eye contact with me. I shook with barely controlled rage as Sorine gave Serana a helping hand.

_Should have killed him. You know you wanted to._

I tried to ignore the voice that demanded Ollrod's head. It was difficult, considering I agreed with it. That bastard. He crossed the damned line. Nobody was going to touch her again. _Nobody_. I was going to be sure of that. The next person that did was going to suffer a very painful death.

Gunmar shaking me knocked me out of my thoughts. "Let it go, Mikhael. At least for now. Ollrod isn't worth the trouble."

I let his words wash over me and I nodded slowly, taking time the time to ease my breathing, which had been threatening to turn ragged. "I will."

"Good. Now, I hope your new condition hasn't lowered your tolerance to mead. I still owe you a mug for when you helped me deal with those damned bears." Gunmar jested, and I had to chuckle slightly.

"I doubt it has, Gunmar. But the mead will have to wait. We need to speak to Dexion and locate the Bow." I told him.

"We have to get going too. Still so much to do, you know how it is." Sorine offered me a friendly smile.

"Take care of yourselves." Gunmar said, as he and Sorine turned to return to their trolls and crossbows, respectively, and left us alone in the hall. It was then that I realized Serana was soothingly rubbing my hand the moment Ollrod left.

"I told you I'd get us out of that." I said with a grin, and placed my hand over hers. Serana gave me a small smile at the motion before responding.

"Thank you. Now let's get to Dexion." The cheeriness in her voice as she spoke lifted my spirits further. The way all her earlier fear was wiped away raised my mood tenfold, and so I took her hand and led her up the stairs to where the priest's room was.

Isran couldn't have been more right in saying that Dexion's condition was concerning. The priest had a strip of cloth wrapped around his eyes and he was only alerted to our presence by our footsteps.

"Oh, Isran? Is that you? What was all that shouting about?" The Moth Priest's troubled face was turned to us, and he patiently awaited a reply. Serana and I exchanged looks before I spoke to Dexion.

"Uhm... That was nothing, Dexion. It's me, Mikhael. Serana's here too. We have the Elder Scrolls." At the sound of our names, Dexion's face switched from pleased, to worried, to apologetic.

"It seems we have a predicament, my friend."

* * *

"Damn moths! Why are they doing that?" I growled as I tried to swat some of them away.

The sweet sound of her laughter found its way to my ears. "They seem quite taken to you now that you're carrying some of that tree bark." She smiled brightly and I couldn't help but smile back.

"I guess we should have seen this coming... Moth Priests, moths... They're apparently related in some way." She mused, a smirk on her features.

The Moth Priest was supposed to make proper preparations and the like before reading the Scroll, but in his haste, he didn't. The result was his blindness. Whether temporary or permanent, he couldn't say. Dexion didn't want to delay our quest for the Bow, so he offered an alternative. We took the Elder Scroll of the Sun he had with him, and brought the other two Scrolls with us. This was an ancient ritual done by the original Moth Priests. We were to go to an old cave called the Ancestor Glade. Inside the cave, we found the draw knife necessary to harvest Canticle Bark from the proper tree.

The reaction was instant, and I began to get swarmed by the Ancestor Moths the moment I held the bark in my hand. The bark attracted the moths to me like blood to a vampire.

I realized the comparison was in bad taste, considering I was a vampire now.

"Unless my vision's playing tricks on me, you're starting to glow. Maybe we need to attract a few more of those moth swarms." She suggested. I silently agreed to this and began walking around the area, gathering more and moths as I went.

The cave was beautiful, and it reminded me much of the Eldergleam Sanctuary. Light seeped into the cave, but it wasn't an overwhelming amount, to the point that it would burn. It just lit up the area, and made the scenery easier to see. Everything was so green, and the plants were so healthy. The flowers were all so vividly colored, and I had to admit that it was a nice change of pace. Instead of running around Skyrim trying to stop the prophecy, here we were, running around this beautiful cave, attracting moths.

It wasn't long before the bright, magical glow that enveloped me began to glow a hundred times more prominently.

"I believe that's enough of them. Let's head to that column of light so you can read the Scrolls." Serana led the way back to the center of the cave, where the light shone.

I unstrapped the Scrolls from her back and my own, and fumbled with them for a moment as I prepared them.

I caught Serana's gaze as I successfully balanced the Scrolls in my hands. For some reason, I couldn't look away from her stunning, fiery eyes. There was just something about the moment in this extraordinary cave. The way the moths fluttered about, creating that magical aura that now surrounded the both of us. The aura's glow, that somehow accentuated every little detail on Serana's gorgeous face.

I suddenly felt lightheaded, and was practically paralyzed as the ancient beauty slowly walked up to me and placed a hand on my chest. There was almost no space between us, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. My heart would probably be hammering right now, if it still beat.

The heat of the moment got to Serana as well. I could see it in the way she traced the intricate patterns on the scales of my armor. The way her smile was so small, yet so sweet, and seemed to have a hundred things to say to me. The way she batted her long, dark lashes at me suggestively, yet innocently. The way she pressed her forehead to lean against mine, as she brought her other hand up to caress the side of my face, the side Alduin scarred with his flames.

Serana gently traced the rough skin with her small fingers, and I found myself staring at her full, tempting lips. It was like they were calling out to me. I cursed the Scrolls in my hands that prevented me from wrapping my arms around the lovely vampire before me.

"Mikhael." My stomach flipped, and I shuddered at the passion in her voice as she whispered my name. Nobody had ever said my name in the manner that she just had. It was just so full of adoration, caring, and, dare I say it, love. Paired with the way she smiled at me like she was the happiest woman on Nirn, I knew that there was only one way to describe this moment: Pure bliss.

In that moment, as her delicate little fingers caressed my scarred face, I knew that there was no other person I wanted to spend the rest of my immortal life with. There was no one in Mundus that could make me feel like this. Nobody else could make me feel so stupidly happy by simply smiling. Nobody could make me feel complete like she could. Like I needed nothing more in the world. Like I could just lay down and die, if I had her in my arms as I did.

It was then that I decided that I would keep her company, and make sure she never felt lonely again. I would protect her with my life. I would scale the highest mountains, slay the fiercest beasts, swim the deepest oceans, if it meant keeping her safe and happy. I would do anything for her.

I wanted to tell her all of this, but my words seemed to fail me. My words which not two days ago saved our lives from the angry Dawnguard. I just felt so damned happy.

My throat felt rather tight and constricted, and I didn't want to even attempt relaying all that was in my head. I cursed my unbeating heart for my extreme and utter happiness having to manifest itself in this way. I settled for placing a shy kiss on Serana's cheek, hoping it would magically convey everything I wanted to say. Of course it wouldn't. But it made her beautiful smile seem all the more bright.

Serana's eyes came to a gentle close, as she slowly leaned forward, wrapping her arms around my neck as she did. If I couldn't express all that I felt vocally, I'd be damned if I didn't show it physically. I shut my eyes and leaned in, drowning out the loud beating wings of the moth swarms. The Scrolls could wait. This moment was about Serana and I. And nothing was going to interrupt us.

_Hisss._

And, I was wrong. I felt a pair of jaws clamp onto my boot, and I turned away from Serana to look at the creature that ruined the perfect moment. It was a skeever. A damned skeever with incredibly horrible timing.

With an irritated growl, I lifted my other boot and stomped down onto its head, easily killing it. I then kicked it away, sending it sailing to the far side of the cave. I turned back to Serana, who was flushing, but smiling nonetheless.

"Do your thing, Mikhael." Her smile never left, as she stood close to watch me work.

I nodded, still not trusting my voice to respond verbally. I took a deep breath and tried not to dwell too much on what just happened. I need to focus on the task at hand. There would be time for thinking later. Time for thinking and time for finishing up what we were supposed to start. Serana took the other two Elder Scrolls and allowed me to read the first one.

I unrolled it, to have shapes and lines burn into my vision. I had to blink a few times to stop the image from blinding, so that I could make it out. It was vague, but it looked like a map. I took the second scroll and opened it. More images swam into my eyes, and I could begin making out the map. There were two crests, and I recognized Markarth and Solitude. I took the final scroll and raised it, suddenly feeling my arms weaken and my vision blur. I grunted slightly and gathered the energy to unroll it. There it was. The Scrolls pinpointed a location between the two hold capitals. Now it was just a matter of travelling all the way there to retrieve the Bow.

I rolled up the Scroll and realized that my breathing had become uneven as I read the third Elder Scroll. It was tiring. Draining. How Dexion made it look so easy when he read the Sun Scroll, I had no idea. But then again, he did go blind afterwards. As I lifted a Scroll to strap to my back, my legs buckled, and I fell onto my backside. The ritual took more out of me than I thought.

My vision threatened to darken, with nothing but the map in my sight, but I fought it. The darkness abruptly disappeared when Serana crouched down to my level to gently assist me back onto my feet, snatching up the Scrolls as she did.

"Are you okay? I thought I lost you there for a second. You went as white as the snow..." Serana's concerned voice reached my ears as she held me by my arms. I gave her a dazed, reassuring smile before I responded, and began strapping the Scrolls to our backs.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

Serana glared at the Elder Scroll on my back, "I never trusted those damned Scrolls. Who knows what those things could have done to you... Just look at Dexion!"

I had to chuckle slightly at how troubled Serana was. "Well, as you can see, no harm done." I said soothingly.

"I have the location of Auriel's Bow as well. It's somewhere between Markarth and Solitude. I've got it in here," I tapped the side of my helmet. "I suggest we head there right away. We can get back to The Dawnguard, Bow and all. They don't need to see us off before we head to... Darkfall Cave."

"Then let's get to it." Serana's eager smile was wiped off at the sound of footfalls from somewhere behind me. Her eyes widened, and I spun around, pushing her back as gently as possible.

A ball of fire came flying in, and I opened my palm wide to catch it in my lit hand. The force of the impact had me spin in a circle to regain my footing, only to send the ball of flame right back at our assailants.

The fiery ball exploded, and the cries of pain indicated I hit my mark. Conjuring up another ball of flames in my free hand, I hurled another in their direction.

The Volkihar clan was a persistent bunch, I had to admit. But in the end, it wasn't going to be us mourning our losses. I drew my blades as Serana readied her spells, and without further delay, charged forward to meet them head on.

_A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading, faving, following, and reviewing. All are much appreciated and very motivating! I apologize for the long author's note that follows._

_To those not so keen on Mikhael's vampirism, we won't go _too_ deep into his new condition. I actually prefer the soul gem method myself. But Mikhael's protectiveness towards Serana makes the vampirism his more ideal choice. It seems more fitting to his character._

_About the Become Ethereal shout... Well, I admit that I forgot about that, haha. I'll be more thorough in future combat scenarios. :)_

_So about Isran and the Dawnguard in this chapter. I just feel that after everything the duo did for the Dawnguard, they'd have earned a rightful place among their ranks, and can be accepted back, even if they are vampires. I like to think that Isran is capable of sensible thought and sympathy. In the end of the questline, he does give his condolences to Serana, remember? The way I see it, the stubborn guy just needs some convincing!_

_Ollrod's sort of a manifestation of senseless rage towards all of vampire-kind. The Dawnguard's and Isran's, at that. And we see how reason beats the senseless hate, which goes on in most of their minds. Does that make sense?_

_I hope you enjoyed my portrayal of Mikhael's speech and Isran and the Dawnguard's reaction. If you did, I'm glad you enjoyed. If not, I'll try better next time. :)_

_I also hope you liked Mikhael and Serana's little moment in Ancestor Glade. When I did that quest, I swear the atmosphere was strangely romantic. Moths making me glow and everything, haha._

_Funfacts: Ollrod is a random Dawnguard member by the front gates of the fort in the game. I randomly picked him for his role in the story._

_The skeever that interrupted Mikhael and Serana is based on an actual skeever encounter I experienced. I was in the Undercroft, talking to Serana about her loneliness, and the damned thing bit me and cut the conversation off._

_Lastly, am I the only one that quietly ships Gunmar and Sorine?_


	9. Between a Rock and a Vampire

It was quite a sight to see. I, a large Nordic vampire, fully geared up in my big armor, limping and using a woman much smaller than me for support. And of course, to that vampiric woman, it was nothing. She could probably wrestle giants twice my size. Night had befallen Skyrim not long ago, relieving the two of us of the burden of the sun on our backs. To take its place, rain began pouring down, leaving us soaked. We now sought refuge under a familiar rock formation in the middle of the treeless plains of the land.

The same rock formation which Serana and I rested under weeks ago. The shade that saved Serana from drying up like a raisin. And now it was giving us some shelter from the rain that beat down hard.

Serana slowly set me down and eased into the spot next to me. She lowered her hood and ran her hands through her wet, tangled hair. The hood was good against the sun, but was next to nothing against the cold, hard rain.

I slowly shifted my position against the rock to get closer to Serana and offer her a little bit of warmth. The feeling of warmth was something a vampire could only wish he had. Although vampirism brought some more resistance to the cold, it didn't mean we never felt a little too cold. Just like how a vampire's weakness to fire doesn't mean he doesn't ever crave some warmth. Whether it be from a campfire, mead, a lover, or a mortal's blood.

As my back stretched just a little bit too much, a groan escaped my lips, and Serana's head snapped to my direction. Of course it didn't go unnoticed. Concern was written all over her face, and I attempted to smile in reassurance.

"Let me see your back." She ordered. I put on a tough face, masking the pain that was radiating from my back.

"It's nothi-" My fellow vampire's steely glare stopped me dead in my tracks. She motioned with her finger for me to turn around. Reluctantly, I repositioned myself so my back was facing her, the movements causing me to wince and tense, which of course, she noticed.

"You're hurt." She said, irritation in her voice, along with discernible concern. She first took my helmet off, setting it aside, and freeing my hair.

"Ow ow ouch." I uttered between grunts as Serana slowly undid the armor around my chest.

"Try and hold still," She muttered as she undid a few more straps "And suck it up! Aren't Nord men notorious for their 'immunity to pain' facade?"

I tried to let out a small laugh at her jab at Nord manliness, but doing so only caused me to enter a coughing fit and put my sides and back in even more pain. I felt her hands finally undo the last buckle and with a pull, she easily slid the armor up and off of me with a quick tug. She then set it down gently and pushed it to the side. Serana yanked my two gloves off and set them down with the rest.

"Oooh..." Her grim voice was strangely soothing, despite the fact that the tone indicated it was not a good sight. Her gentle fingers ran over the fresh bruises and began to trace some of my older scars I had gained throughout the many years. She appeared to be fond of doing this to my scars. Serana copied the patterns of the scars, some were from your simple sword or arrow, others were from creatures as massive as dragons. Old Alduin himself, even. I heard her breathing uneven slightly as she took in my back, and the story it told of all I had done. I couldn't tell if she was awed or sympathetic.

Serana applied a small amount of pressure and began feeling my back and ribs. My muscles tensed at the feeling of her poking and pressing my damaged back. It was good that the bruises were just that, but they still hurt badly. Nothing seemed broken at least. I felt myself cringe as she hit a more sensitive spot. Okay, a few were definitely broken. She noticed my unease at her movement and she quickly stopped, soothingly rubbing an undamaged section of skin apologetically.

"I'm going to do what I can but it isn't much. We'll need to get you checked up before confronting my father." She said, rubbing my back as she did.

Harkon was to die, no question about it. It had to be by my hand. It was _going _to be. Our conversation on the matter was still fresh in my head, clear as day. Or more accurately, night.

Serana expressed her own doubt towards her capability of killing her own father. I tried my best to reassure her that if or rather _when_ it came to that, I would be there for her. I was going to do the deed so she wouldn't have to live with the fact that her father died by her own hand. Harkon wasn't going to lay a finger on her for the prophecy as long as I lived.

The healing salve was applied, rubbed down with whatever alchemy components she saw fit. It stung rather badly, and I began gripping the dirt tightly, pulling clumps out as the stinging got worse. White-yellow light came from her fingertips and I felt some pain receding. I could even feel my ribs being mended ever so slightly. I was shocked to feel Serana's hands hold me by the shoulder and flip me so I was lying on my stomach.

I deftly adjusted my hand, and rubbed my fingers together for a moment, and attempted to focus my energy into a healing spell to assist Serana. Try as I did, nothing happened. Nothing other than my head beginning to pound as I poured my energy into the spell. I grunted slightly in irritation and let my hand drop, before I developed a headache.

I was probably going to have to wait for a while before I attempted casting spells again. That damned ward from earlier took a lot of effort to keep up. But it was worth it. Oh, so worth it.

"I didn't know you knew restoration magic." I muttered as the pain was nearly completely gone. As the pain receded, I slowly and carefully rolled onto my back, and laid my head on Serana's lap, looking up at her and shooting her a grin.

"I learned a bit from the Mage's College before I... You know." She said sheepishly, a smile gracing her lips, pleased that she could be of help.

The Mage's College.

_"Restoration is a perfectly valid school of magic!"_ I couldn't place a name to the complaint but I remembered her badgering me about it a lifetime ago when I was the Archmage.

Serana gently lifted my head and slowly shifted closer to me for both of our comfort.. One of her hands went to my own, which was resting on my midsection. She held it tight, but not uncomfortably so. I imagined it as her way of encouraging me to recover. Her second hand went to my hair, which she seemed to enjoy fiddling with.

"You know, normally it's the man who's sitting, and the girl who uses his lap as a pillow?" I mused, playing with her little fingers that felt so tiny next to mine. Her soft chuckle was music to my ears.

"This is a total role reversal then." She squeezed my hand as she replied cheekily.

"It would appear so..." I trailed off, my thoughts drifting back to the events that led us to where we sat now.

Darkfall Cave was basically a barrel of drooling, snarling, bloodthirsty Falmer, in a nutshell. But as we got to the bottom of that barrel, we met one of the last remaining Snow Elves. It was remarkable. Seeing a Snow Elf in the flesh, alive and well. He told us of his brother Vyrthur. Sadly, we were to kill the second of the last two remaining Snow Elves. We needed to do it to cleanse the Chantry of Auriel and get the Bow. To get all the way to the Chantry, we walked far and wide, through icy mountain paths and grassy plains. We filled up this ceremonial ewer at several wayshrines along the way to the Chantry, and then dumped the water at the end.

Serana insisted that this was a waste of time, but at least we got to the Chantry. It didn't take us long to find Vyrthur, who was positively mad, and later revealed himself to be a vampire. I could take on the dozens of icy, thawing Falmer he threw at me. But things really got out of hand when he brought the whole damned ceiling down on us.

_I narrowly ducked under the wide swing of yet another of Vyrthur's Falmer thralls. I took a step to its right and sliced into its side with my dagger, before spinning a circle to chop its head off. Serana had mastered her vampiric strength and speed long ago, and was taking full advantage of it. She was a blur of blades and a flash of magic that killed anything that got too close. Perhaps I would move that quickly and deadly one day?_

_My head snapped to the side, and I just barely avoided an ice spike sent my way by a frost atronach. I shoved my sword into its sheath and began summoning a fire ball in my hand. I allowed the fiery magic to power itself up in my palm as I dodged a few more of the sharp icicles. Just a little bit longer..._

_An icy Falmer lunged forward, aiming to stab. I twisted myself away from the short sword, meeting it head on with a successful stab of my own. I grabbed the dagger in a reverse grip, yanking it out, and using my momentum to spin around and hurl the ball of flame at the atronach. The massive ball of fire set the frost atronach alight, and burned it to ashes in no time._

_Two more of the thralls lunged for me. I shot my right hand out to block its attack at the wrist, and used my blade to block the other incoming axe. I spun a circle, slitting the throat of the second and hammering my fist in the face of the first. The Falmer's head snapped back at the collision and I quickly drove my dagger into the side of its neck._

_I took several steps back as half a dozen more approached me. I licked my lips, and took a deep breath._

_"YOL TOOR SHUUUUUUUUUL!" Fire burst forth from my mouth, devouring everything in its path as I turned my head side to side, making the flames sweep the area clear. The shout effectively killed all the living ice thralls, but also thawed out those that were still immobile. And so a dozen more of the unfrozen Falmer stepped forward, hungry for our blood._

_"ENOUGH!" Vyrthur's sharp voice cut through the heavy breathing, and the hard footfalls. I looked at the Snow Elf, and found him standing by his throne, his feet spread wide and his back arched as his clenched fists shook with rage. He screamed in rage, and his hands uncurled, unleashing a bright and powerful energy, which shook the chapel, causing everybody to stumble about and attempt to keep balance._

_A portion of the roof collapsed, crushing several of the Falmer. My eyes widened in horror, as the image of Serana's limp hand sticking out of a pile of rubble briefly flashed through my mind. I felt shaken, and not because of Vyrthur's rage. I willed my legs to move, so I could run over to her and shield her from the imminent danger. But they felt so damned stiff. I needed to get moving._

_Another flash. Her face contorted in pain, as she screamed my name. No. Serana? Hurt? Dead? No. No, that isn't going to happen. Not if I could help it._

_My legs finally snapped into action, and I raced towards my fellow vampire who was scurrying about, trying to regain her footing as the ground shook violently. Serana noticed my approach and began scrambling over to me._

_A loud cracking sound from the ceiling alerted me to the danger we were in. Then the ceiling gave way. All of it just cracked up and rapidly descended unto us. I saw several of the Falmer thralls get crushed almost right after._

_One sizeable chunk of roof was heading straight for Serana. I panicked, and parted my lips to shout, as my throat began to protest._

_"FUS RO D-" A rock struck me at the back of my head, causing my pace to falter. The shout, while not fully powered, sent the rubble off course, and allowed her enough time to evade it. I stumbled towards Serana, that rock having dazed me. I could taste blood already. Overusing the Thu'um was never a good idea._

_Serana and I crashed into each other, and I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist, as she wrapped hers around my neck. There was one last damned section of roof coming down. And it was coming down right towards us._

_I pushed Serana to the ground as gently as I could, and dropped on top of her. I balanced myself as well as I could as I sprawled out over her, cradling her head with my one hand. She gripped my wrist with both of her hands, and I could make out her mouth shouting my name, but could not hear it over all the chaos around us. I used my much larger frame to keep as much of her protected as possible._

_With my one free hand, I raised it behind me. With my eyes locked onto Serana's, I created an image in my head, of a giant shield, that protected Serana, as she smiled on._

_The ward was projected from my hand, and the rubble began to assault us._

We made it out alive of course. Although it did end with me hobbling out of the rubble with a hand gripping my back as Serana helped me walk. The ward shielded me from the initial onslaught but gave way in the end, and my back took a great beating. Serana made it out without a scratch, although she was quite shaken when she saw how much punishment I took for her.

The bastard retreated out to the grand balcony. We confronted Vyrthur yet again, and he revealed himself to be a vampire. One of Vyrthur's own initiates turned him, and he saw it as Auriel turning his divine back to him. To get revenge on the Divine, he created the Tyranny of the Sun to weaken Auriel's control over Nirn. He waited all this time for a Daughter of Coldharbour to come along so he could get her blood. And there Serana stood. But of course, she had no intention of giving her blood up so easily.

We then went toe to toe with the elf. I knew that Serana felt that this was more of her battle, and so I did not interfere much. Even if I could, I was too damned winded to be of much help. But, I had to intervene just the same at one point. Vyrthur kicked Serana, and left her winded. Had I not clumsily stuck my hand out in a late attempt at blocking his sword, her head would have been lopped clean off. Vyrthur was distracted by my pathetic defense and began assaulting me. I allowed him to take the offensive as I simply parried his blows. From there, Serana cut him down while he was distracted.

My thick gloves shielded my fingers from being cut, but the force of the blow elicited a nasty crack from my thumb. Thankfully, it could still move, but doing so hurt. I assumed this was another reason she was holding my hand and soothingly playing with my fingers. A form of apology.

After Vyrthur was dealt with, his brother Gelebor, who told us how to get around and make our way to the Chantry, showed up. He gave us Auriel's Bow, and sent us on our way back, wishing us good luck as he did. The arcane bow was being carried by Serana, but at the moment, it was leaning against the rocks we took shelter by.

We sat in silence for several more minutes. It wasn't an awkward or dead silence, but comfortable. But it was also uncharacteristic for Serana to be so quiet, and I picked up on this. I squeezed her hand to get her attention. She looked back at me and smiled a sad smile. As if sensing my question, she spoke up first.

"I'm sorry. It's because of me you're in all this pain right now. You're going through all of this to stop my father and you're doing it for me. Then I go and nearly get myself killed twice, and you take the blows for me." She broke eye contact and eyed the ground; the sadness did not go well with her pretty face. I frowned at this.

Serana idly rubbed my hand with her thumb, reveling at the feeling of my callused skin against her baby smooth skin. A week ago, her hands would have given me chills. They were cold to the touch and could make mortals recoil on contact. But being a vampire, it was nice being able to hold her hand without the contrast in temperature being uncomfortable.

I gently removed Serana's hand so I could push myself up to sit up. I leaned back against the rocks, glad that my spine and my ribs were no longer protesting.

"Don't say that. All of that was unavoidable. That ceiling was going to hurt both of us no matter what we did. I just... Made sure you didn't take the blunt it. Don't blame yourself for it. This," I raised my thumb, which gave out a quiet click. "I couldn't let you die, darling. This is nothing. Just a pinprick. You're worth every scratch and bruise." I made sure to whisper the last part into her ear, earning a soft giggle as the breath tickled her. She gently took my thumb between her own and her index finger before speaking.

"I would have died twice over if it weren't for you. From the ceiling and from his blade. He would have cut my head clean off if it weren't for your stupid," She gently slapped my arm with her free hand. "Stupid disregard for self preservation!" She slapped my cheek this time, but still gently. I simply grinned in response, and it appeared my smile was contagious. A beautiful smile soon found its way to her features.

I eased my arm over Serana's shoulders. She shuffled closer yet, her eyes closed and smile bright due to her contentment of our proximity. She sort of cuddled into me, her head resting on my shoulder, and her small hand on my bare chest.

"Thank you. I owe you so much you know?" Serana idly poked and prodded my exposed collar bone. "I have no idea where I'd be now if you hadn't come along and my father's scouts got me. Obviously I wouldn't have made it this far." She paused for a moment, her thoughts occupying her.

"I'm glad I have you." The sincerity in Serana's statement caused my unbeating heart to melt in place. She buried her face into the side of my neck, and I heard a contented sigh.

If she was glad that she had me, she could only imagine how glad I was to have her.

"I was a mess before you came along. Spent a year or two at home, never leaving. Just whacked a mannequin all day. Or shot it. Dragons, vampires, and murderous Snow Elves aside, I think I'm the luckiest man on Nirn. And it's because of you. I'm glad too." I placed a quick kiss on the top of her head, causing her to remove herself from my neck to look up at me.

"Oh please," She chuckled at my flattery. "What could be lucky about being stuck with an ancient vampire with a dysfunctional family?" She raised a brow, as if challenging me to come up with something to prove her wrong. And so I did.

"Because that vampire is you. Strong, witty, smart, compassionate, and with beauty to make Dibella herself quake with jealousy. You make everything worthwhile." I inched closer with every word, taking Serana's hand with my free one as I went. I could see the ghost of a blush on her face as she looked down, smiling slightly. I reached out to gently hold her face and turn it to me.

"The Dawnguard gave me a purpose. They got me to stop going back to my home and sleeping the day away. Then they led me to you. Good old Isran could have sent anyone to check out Dimhollow. But he sent me, and I met you. You gave me a reason to live and to love again." I whispered, eliciting a noticeable chill down her back.

"There's nobody in Nirn that can make me feel the way you do. With you, I feel like I can do anything. I can take on anything. I feel complete. I feel as alive as a vampire can be." I continued, Serana's gentle smile still present. Taking the risk, I leaned forward, our foreheads meeting, and our breathing heavy. Serana's eyes fluttered to a gentle close as she tilted her head to meet my lips. I was obliged to mimic the motion.

The kiss was gentle, soft, and brief. Her lips, like the rest of her, were cold, but soft and comforting. The kiss left me wanting more, yet at the same time it felt like just enough. Like nothing was lacking. I attributed that feeling to the fact that the moment was perfection in itself. And I know she felt the same. Even if we sat under a small rock formation in the middle of Skyrim, easy prey to wolves or the sharp eyed dragon. Even if my body ached ever so slightly when I moved. It was perfect. And she made it perfect.

She was first to break the position. She grabbed me by the shoulder once again and made me lie down, adjusting her own position so she could comfortably lean back into the rock formation. I used her lap as a pillow, staring up at her pleased smile.

"Let's get some rest. We both need it." Serana told me, soothingly rubbing my arm in that way only she can.

"Goodnight, dear." I muttered, feeling all the activity of the day finally catching up to me.

_Harkon can wait one more night._

I vision began to darken, and my heavy eyelids were hard to keep open. As I slowly slipped out, I heard the faintest whisper come from the beautiful vampire before me.

She whispered, "Goodnight, love."

_A/N: Hey there, everybody! I tried to keep this one short and sweet, without dragging it out too much or anything. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope the chapter title wasn't misleading, by the way._

_I'd like to thank everyone who has faved, and followed. And a larger thank you yet to those who took their time to review. Don't forget to drop one on the way out. Tell me what you think about the latest chapter!_

_We're getting close to the end now, folks. I know that I may not have as many cards up my sleeve as other writers do, but I hope you are enjoying this _adaptation thing_ of Dawnguard nonetheless._

_I plan to start another story after I finish this, but updates may not be as frequent. That thing with the twist at the end of Dawnguard that I mentioned a few chapters back._

_Anyways, have a good day, and please stay tuned._


	10. The Road Ahead

We arrived midday, taking as few stops as possible so as to arrive as quickly as possible. Of course the sun had to make itself difficult for us, and I felt myself quietly hissing out of habit as I adjusted the hood I wore. The gates swung open, and I was greeted by Beleval, who bowed her head briefly as I walked in, Serana in tow.

It was something, really. The fields were absolutely bustling with activity. A thirty or so hunters were fine tuning their techniques. The axe-wielders were fiercely swinging and twirling their weapons about in unison, like some form of macabre art. Durak stood to the side of a platoon of crossbowmen, his hand raised. As his limb dropped, a barrage of bolts embedded themselves into the line of targets. The Orc called out a command, and a new set of bolts were snapped into the crossbows. Sorine appeared as if from nowhere to whisper something to Durak, which he relayed to his shooters.

There were grumbles of agreement, and yet another bunch of bolts were loaded into their bows. Durak raised his hand, and waited for his hunters to line up their sights. As his hand dropped, the loud crack of a row of firing crossbows rang out. The specialized bolts exploded on contact, sending shards of wood out in random directions. The Dawnguard cheered and clapped for Sorine's development, as she gave a humble bow.

Further towards the castle, I found Gunmar and several of his trolls. The lone frost troll of the batch stood out, being the tallest and most muscular. But like the others, it pounded the ground, and walked around impatiently waiting for a new order. They would find an interesting rock on the ground for one second, then snort at it and toss it away at the next.

As Serana and I got closer to the main door and the trolls, Gunmar turned to greet us with a wide grin.

"Greetings, friends. I'd hightail it to Isran if I were you. He's planning the attack as we speak." The redhead's eyes wandered to the ornate Bow on my back, causing eyes to widen in awe. "You've got Auriel's Bow. This is perfect. Those vampires won't know what hit them."

"We'll find Isran. I want us to end this as soon as we can. Who knows, the damned Volkihar might attack us while we plan." Gunmar nodded his head in agreement as I ascended the stairs, with Serana quietly following.

A battle troll growled in Serana's direction, and took a few menacing steps towards her. She turned around to face the troll with a startled expression.

"Hey, easy now..." She slowly backed up as the troll got closer, murder in its eyes. The beast's predatory growl had Serana chuckling nervously as she ascended the stairs backwards. Before the troll could do any damage, Gunmar drove his fist into the its side, causing it to spin around to face him. He pointed a finger at the troll's face, a stern look on his face.

Gunmar motioned to Serana and I, "Friend." He barked at the troll. The troll bowed submissively and quickly scampered off towards the other trolls. Gunmar gave a brief apologetic look before going back to the trolls.

I could hear Serana's quiet sigh of relief as they left. She faced me, my amused face not going unnoticed.

"Well how would you react if an angry armored troll stared you down?" She asked with mock offense in her tone. Instead of verbally responding, I took her hand with a grin, and led the way into the entrance hall.

The usually quiet hall was bustling with activity. Various hunters were moving about, carrying crates and sacks of different contents. Contents that I imagined ranged from potions to swords. Isran was shouting orders at the men mobilizing around the hall. He was probably having the supplies moved to the wagons we were going to use for travel. This was more or less confirmed when several crates were moved out of the hall.

"Ah, you've returned." Isran took note of our presence and began approaching us. His usually stoic face turned pleased and triumphant at the sight of Auriel's Bow slung on my back. "And you have the Bow. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. But we can't stop and celebrate just yet. As long as the Volkihar clan stands, and as long as Harkon breathes, Skyrim is not safe."

Isran faced one of the arches, and began walking, waving forward for us to follow. He led us to a map of Haafingar spread out on a small table. Aside from the map, a small assortment of potions, a skull, and a knife rested on the table.

The knife was pinned to the map and the table. Upon closer inspection, it was pinned to an area in the Sea of Ghosts, by a small island. On that island sat Castle Volkihar. I looked up from the map to Isran, who placed one hand behind his back, and another hand on the table.

"The two of you know this castle better than anyone else. I need your help in planning out this attack." Isran pointed at the castle. "We will be arriving by boat. An estimated twenty will be taking a group of boats. This will be the main attack force. They will storm the gates."

I placed a finger on the map, pointing out the direction they need to come in at. "The boats will have to attack from here. Upon landing, they just need to head straight to breach their defenses."

Isran nodded before turning his attention to Serana, his face uncomfortable. "Uhm... We want you," He glanced at me. "And Mikhael to lead the attack. Serana, you will play a crucial role in this. You know the castle's layout, and we will need you to direct the hunters when we land. And you will need to take Mikhael and I to wherever it is your father is."

Serana nodded stiffly, and Isran noticed her discomfort. "I... Know this might be hard for you. I won't pretend that I understand what you're going through. But, I understand loss." The Redguard paused, and awkwardly shifted from what foot to the other. "I- We, the Dawnguard, appreciate what you're doing."

"Thank you, Isran." Serana's expression lightened, and she offered a toothy smile, purposely flashing her fangs to make Isran all the more uncomfortable. She managed to find joy in Isran's discomfort. "I'll do my best."

He nodded in recognition before turning to me again. "We have a platoon of crossbowmen. And of course Gunmar's trolls. They will ride together on a larger boat. We'll want to keep them under fire while the trolls flank them. And while all that's underway, we are attacking them head on."

"The problem is that we don't have a large boat to transport the trolls and the shooters." Isran rubbed his beard in thought.

An idea came to mind, and I had to hope that my connections in the Imperial Legion were still standing. "I will contact General Tullius and request a barge. Maybe ask for a few archers as well. I will make the letter convincing. We are doing this for a good cause, after all."

"Good. That will simplify matters. Where can the barge land to provide covering fire and unleash the trolls?"

I was about to speak, when Serana beat me to it. "If the boat moves along here," She drew a curvy line on the map with her finger. "And lands on this side of the beach, they can easily flank the vampires."

"Alright, I'll make sure they beach that side. How long would it take to get to Castle Volkihar? Taking into consideration the fact we will probably stop to rest at least twice." Isran turned to me for the answer, and I answered not long after.

"If we make good time, we arrive in three days. We leave now, we arrive at noon for the battle of Castle Volkihar." I answered. Isran frowned and crossed his arms over his chest before speaking.

"Battling at midday would be difficult for you." He then added as afterthought, "And Serana."

"It will also be difficult for the Volkihar. We can bear it, Isran." I assured him.

Impressed somewhat, Isran nodded. "Alright, that wraps it up then. We move out now. I'll speak to the men." He pushed himself off of the table and led us back to the entrance hall, where the last of the supplies were being moved out of the hall. "Double time!" He growled at Agmaer and his companion who carried the final crate.

We followed Isran out of the hall, and once again basked in the sunlight. I bit my tongue to avoid the feral hiss threatening to escape my lips. I adjusted the piece of cloth that barely passed off as a hood. But it didn't do much.

Isran pointed at an idle hunter and ordered him to gather up the rest of the men. It just so happened that a certain blonde Nord was already at the scene.

"I see you've got the Bow!" He called. A deep growl rumbled in the back of my throat. I turned to face Ollrod as he approached me, his head held high. I glanced at Isran, who was too busy instructing Gunmar to notice the events unfolding behind him.

"Indeed I do." I replied flatly, keeping the irritation out of my tone, and hoping he would just turn around and leave.

"So what's next? Are you going to take _her_ blood and put the sun out, just like the Volkihar wants? Because that obviously benefits you as well." Ollrod's accusation was downright absurd, and twice as irritating.

"Ollrod." Came Isran's growl of warning. But that was all that was said before he continued speaking to the troll master. Gunmar's eyes were looking over Isran's shoulder, and at me. There was a different glint in his eye this time. He wasn't telling me to keep a leveled head. Unlike last time.

"Oh, no. You don't plan on doing that do you?" Ollrod continued in a mocking tone. I clenched my fists, weary of where he was taking this conversation. I gulped, and attempted to keep my cool as I replied.

"No, not at all." Was what I managed to say through gritted teeth. Over Ollrod's shoulder, I could see the bulk of the hunters making their way towards us, ready to hear Isran speak. And here we were, beginning to make a scene.

"Mikhael." Serana whispered in warning. I didn't need to turn around and look at her to picture her worried face. I knew it all too well.

"Aha, that makes sense. You'd rather screw your little _vampire whore_ over there than kill her for the Volkihar." Ollrod was grinning in satisfaction at the look on my face, as if he just won. And that just about did it.

I snapped forward and dug my fist into his nose, feeling a satisfying crack under my knuckles. Ollrod stumbled a step back and I followed up, throwing my elbow forward with all my might, eliciting a louder crack. Ollrod dropped to the ground, clutching his bleeding, broken nose, but I didn't stop there. I dropped to one knee, clutching his neck as I drove my fist into his face again. And again. And yet again. With each blow, I deformed his face more and more, my dragon scale gauntlets and powerful vampiric strength adding to the hell I was dealing to his face. All I could see was red.

I could keep my calm. I didn't lose it when Delphine yelled at me as I walked out, refusing to kill Paarthurnax. I was calm when I hunted Mercer down for his treachery. I kept cool when I was led into that trap by the Penitus Oculatus. I dealt with Ancano calmly when he nearly murdered everyone in the College over the Eye of Magnus. I didn't snap when I cranked Isran's mind open to see Serana and I's usefulness to the cause.

But this son of a bitch crossed the line.

A strong pair of arms grabbed my shoulders, and Isran's gruff voice came, ordering me to get off of him. I simply shook him off and continued beating on his face. He was getting every bit of punishment he deserved since I met him weeks ago.

_He should have seen this coming._

Another pair of hands came. They were gentle, and snaked around my midsection. They were paired with a soft voice, whispering that he had enough. That he wasn't worth the trouble. I paused, and looked at the bloody mess I made. I beat him beyond recognition. Everything was swollen and bloody. He looked as good as dead. But of course he was just unconscious. If I wanted to kill him, he would have been dead before he hit the floor.

I let Serana pull me up, and I found myself in front of the entire Dawnguard, staring at me, shock being the most common expression on their faces. There was Durak, who looked irritable. One less man to fight the Volkihar, he probably thought. Gunmar and Sorine stood side by side now. Sorine looked unsure, and uncomfortable, whereas Gunmar had his arms crossed over his chest, an inconspicuous thumb up in approval. Agmaer, the young lad, looked as confused as ever. Beleval, who was acquainted with Ollrod to some degree, had her face in her hand and was shaking her head. Isran stood next to me, grumbling something under his breath, but mostly looking indifferent.

Then there was Serana, who stood in front of me, and held my hand. Her face was the very image of worry, and I could see her lip bleeding from biting it too much. Her striking eyes spoke volumes. I could hear her appreciation for defending her. Yet I could hear her scolding for acting brash.

Before anyone could begin questioning the scene before them, Isran stepped in front of us and took the stage. What a lifesaver he was.

"Brothers and sisters! My hunters! Today, we move out, and rip the vampires out at their roots: Castle Volkihar!" I had to admit, Isran had a thing for theatrics.

"Mikhael, Serana, and I will lead the main attack. We will take several boats and land at the front of the beach. We will storm the gates. The bowmen and the trolls take another boat, and are to flank the Volkihar. The attack will serve to effectively pin them against their castle. Executed correctly, the outside fighting will end in minutes. Then we will enter the castle, and eradicate every single one of them!"

Isran was greeted with several eager battle cries. "But we must exercise caution when fighting in these confined spaces. We can only imagine what horrors they may have prepared for us."

There were more cries and cheers from the hunters, but they were silenced when Isran raised a hand up.

"For too long we've allowed these vampires to poison the night and kill our people! Now we finally have the means to strike back! We now have Auriel's Bow." Isran pointed at Serana and I. "With the combined efforts of Mikhael and Serana, this would not be possible."

"The gods themselves have favored us and we must answer with action! The time has come to finally put an end to Harkon and his unholy prophecy! We will march on their lair and destroy those wretched abominations so they can no longer corrupt our world! This is our fight, and this is our fate. This is the time of the Dawnguard!" Isran raised his mighty warhammer into the air, and in response, the hunters drew their weapons, and held them high.

"For Skyrim!"

"For Skyrim!" They called back in unison.

"While we march to Castle Volkihar, we need some to stay and guard the fort." There were very quiet grumbles of disappointment.

"I suppose Ollrod's staying to guard the base." Serana muttered to me.

Isran listed about ten hunters, who separated themselves from the crowd, and stood by, waiting for their orders.

"The rest of you get onto your respective wagons at once! We move out now!" He called out, and the Dawnguard scrambled out to do as told.

The Redguard took a moment to order the remaining hunters to guard the fort at all costs. When he was done, he turned to Serana and I, and pointed at a wagon, whose only occupants were Sorine and Agmaer. This one was bringing up the rear of the convoy. I climbed into the carriage before offering Serana a hand. She smiled, and accepted my assistance. I pulled her up and into the wagon. We sat ourselves side by side at the front and across Agmaer, near the carriage driver.

Isran pulled himself up next, and sat next to Agmaer, who fidgeted nervously. Next came Gunmar, who chained his small army of battle trolls to the wagon before sitting across Sorine.

"The trolls will sense danger a mile away! They will be of great help." Gunmar grinned enthusiastically.

"Good to know." Isran muttered, before raising his voice to address the lead of the convoy, who I believe was Durak. "Onward!"

With that, the wheels of the wagons began turning, and we began the journey to Castle Volkihar.

Serana placed her head on my shoulder and intertwined our fingers. It was amusing how Isran seemed to be looking anywhere but the two of us. I shifted slightly to get more comfortable. It was a long road ahead, after all.

* * *

It was loud thunder paired with blinding lightning that broke our kiss. And woke up the other occupants of the wagon. It was the second night of our travel, and Isran decided it was time we stopped for the night. He called to Durak at the head of the column of carriages. Within moments, the carriages were moved to the side of the road and by the tree line, so as to not block the path of any other travelers.

The rain had been on us for a few hours, but was really getting worse now. It pounded the ground with a fury, and had a way of really setting the downcast mood. It was a small storm by the looks of it. It also limited the visibility. I also bet that it dampened the trolls' sharp senses. But they were still undoubtedly going to be the first ones to pick up the scent of trouble if it headed our way. Many of the hunters were getting anxious, and wanted to simply get the journey over with. The sooner we got to the castle, the sooner we put an end to Harkon.

The other hunters were also getting paranoid, and restless. Isran was naturally one of them. He was drifting in and out of sleep on the wagon, since he didn't get a wink of sleep the previous night. He joined the night guards while the others slept.

It was a good thing that I wrote and sent my letter to Tullius before the rain came in. Now I just had to wait for the carrier pigeon to make it back with the general's response.

Isran stood up and hopped off the cart, Agmaer following. He began barking orders over the deafening rain. The hunters began disembarking from their carriages, carrying their crates and sacks with them. Here you could see another distinction between hunters and common soldiers. My time serving with the legion taught me that the average grunt did not know how to assemble a tent, and couldn't cook to save his life.

On the other hand, the hunters could assemble a tent in a matter of minutes, and could prepare a decent meal. This was proved firsthand when the first few tents were erected in no time. Gunmar got off next, assisting Sorine as he did.

The pathetic excuse of a hood I wore was thoroughly soaked, as was the rest of me. Serana was undoubtedly the same. The whole Dawnguard probably was. It added to the sour mood most of the hunters had. We still had another day of travel, and to top it off, we were drenched to the bone. The tents were looking better and better by the second.

I began to push myself up, when Serana tightened her hold on my arm, snuggling into my neck as she did.

"I'm content here." She muttered with a smile.

"Come on, it's drier in the tents." I was responded with a stubborn huff of disagreement. Seeing no other choice, I quickly scooped her up, causing her to yelp in surprise. The yelp turned into a short fit of giggles as I stepped off the wagon. I put Serana back on her feet as Isran walked by, giving me a scolding look as he passed.

We entered a vacant tent and two bedrolls were handed to me not five seconds after. Whoever the hunter was quickly left, and I saw him dragging a sack along, taking bedrolls out and tossing them into the tents as he went. You had to admire how fast they moved when setting up camp. The tents were small, but many. There were probably fifteen or so tents set up along the tree line. In between some of the tents, I could see thick sheets of cloth being set up with wooden poles. Under the makeshift canopies, the hunters started preparing meals.

Being a vampire, food was no longer a necessity. But since I was only recently turned, I still enjoyed a fine meal.

The sound of a wet splotch caused me to look behind me. Serana discarded the hood, and was feebly trying to dry her hair. I tossed my own soaked hood to the ground before peaking my head out between the flaps of the tent. Isran and Agmaer's tent wasn't far away.

"I'll be back, Serana." I stepped out of the tent and back into the cold rain.

"Don't take long." Was the somber reply.

I walked along the row of tents with my head held low. The rain was really setting the gloomy mood. Despite the glee we managed to find, whether it be from the occasional joke, or the quick kisses while nobody was looking, the atmosphere was undoubtedly tense and downcast. The brief joy would quickly shift back to a heavy silence.

Several times already, during the ride and while resting at camp, I asked Serana what was wrong. She would deny that anything was wrong, and steer the topic away from her, or lapse into silence. It was beginning to worry me.

I really should talk to her when I get back to the tent. Playing a major part in killing her own father has obviously shaken her. Can't blame her. When Isran mentioned it days ago, I think that's when it really clicked into Serana's head that we were really going to do that deed. And it was only a matter of days until we did. Evil psychopathic vampire or not, he was still her father.

Serana's conversation with Valerica in the Soul Cairn was still fresh in my mind. Even today, there's little I can do to ease her mind, and erase the guilt that weighed on her conscience. I know it's next to impossible. And I'm no scholar who studied the humanities. I'm not a genius when it came to women. That's why the best I hoped to accomplish is to just be there for her, and be someone that she can talk to about her inner demons.

That being said, what could I accomplish if I tried to talk to her? Or perhaps I could get her to let it all out?

"Mikhael," Isran's voice got my attention, and I belatedly realized I was already at his tent. "Why are you just standing there? Come in."

How long was I stuck in thought?

I stepped into Isran's tent. It was slightly bigger than that of the other hunters, but that was probably so that it could fit the table in the center. Laid out was the map of Skyrim, and resting on the corner was the map of Haafingar. To the left of the table was Agmaer, already sound asleep.

"I just wanted to check how our progress is looking." I informed him. Isran hunched over the map and traced our path with a finger, before stopping at a certain point.

"We just crossed the border of Whiterun. We've entered Hjaalmarch. It is only a few hours to Haafingar, and the beach where we board the boats. If it weren't for the damn mountains by Dragon Bridge adding hours to maneuver around, we could finish the trip tonight and set up camp by the beach." Isran finished with a touch of irritation.

"But progress is good enough. Some of the men are restless though. I'm sure you've already noticed that." I nodded at this. "Our plan is solid, though. I expect nothing short of victory tomorrow."

"Let's hope it goes smoothly."

Before Isran could reply, a series of loud growls rang out around the camp. Trolls' growls. Isran and I exchanged a look before darting out of the dry, warm tent and into the relentless rain. We were by Gunmar's side in moments, as he and Sorine yanked on the trolls' chain leashes, except one. He allowed the large frost troll to continue snarling.

"Where?" Gunmar asked the beast. He must have trained the things well, because the troll responded by jerking its head towards the tree line, and proceeded to roar. We all turned to the dark, shady trees. Looking into the tree line and looking for a threat was difficult, vampiric eyesight or not. The damned crooked, shadowy trees looked like beasts lying in wake.

But then we spotted a glint of fiery gold in the darkness. "There!" Isran growled.

Sorine drew and fired a bolt into the shadows before anyone else could act. I couldn't see if the bolt landed, but the glint of gold faded with a blurry wave. The vampire turned invisible. Whether to attack or to retreat, I couldn't say.

Isran held a hand up when I made a move to inspect the shadows. "Stay here and watch our backs." He ordered me, before motioning for Gunmar to follow him. He tossed a ball of magic candlelight into the darkness, and slowly entered the rows of trees, dagger poised to strike.

The damned vampires were either planning on striking at us while we rested, or were scouting. I had the feeling it was the latter, as several hunters would be dead by now had they wished it.

Gunmar made it out first, with a cloak in one hand and Sorine's bolt in the other. Isran followed shortly, still scanning the darkness with wary eyes.

"You pinned his cloak to a tree, but he got away. I think we know what clan this belongs to." Gunmar raised the embroidered clasp for us to see. Naturally, the Volkihar clan's insignia was engraved into it.

"Scouts," Isran continued in a growl. "No doubt he's on his way to Harkon right now. They'll be ready for us."

"This is what happens when we travel as a huge convoy. No way to cover up our tracks or go unnoticed." Sorine muttered, more to herself than to us.

"Well, it was this or we moved at our own pace in separate groups, easy prey to ambushes. Not to mention with every day that passes, the more Harkon's numbers grow." Isran turned to look at the tree line once again, hands on his hips. He was looking up at the dark sky now.

"Stendarr preserve us." Isran whispered. He faced us, tone as determined as ever. "This is the hand we've been dealt. So now we rest up, and march up to their lair and end this. It's going to be a hard fight, but what other choice do we have?"

"Isran is correct. This won't change things much. We just have to be more vigilant." Gunmar nodded along. We slipped into a short silence after this, which was broken by Isran walking away, muttering about assigning guards for the night.

"I'll get going before Serana starts worrying." I started towards the direction of my tent. Sorine nodded in understanding, and smiled knowingly. Gunmar on the other hand laughed outright and patted me on the back as I passed him.

I raked a hand through my soaked hair several times before parting the tent's flap and taking a step inside. A candle sat in one corner, and just barely lit the tent up. It cast dark, dramatic shadows over Serana's bedroll. Was she already asleep?

I quickly took my boots off, and placed them by the entrance. As quietly as possible, I approached Serana, and leaned over to check if she was sleeping.

The bedroll was empty.

I straightened up immediately, my unbeating heart leaping my chest. "SER-"

One hand clasped over my mouth, and the other slid over my chest. "I'm right here, Mikhael." Came the sultry voice.

Serana removed her hand from my mouth, and allowed me to turn around to face her. She was grinning at me, but that wasn't what I noticed first. She was in her smallclothes, and her usual attire was discarded on the floor behind me. My face heated up when I caught sight of her body. She was perfection given form. From her fine shaped chest, her curvy waist, and her petite little feet.

I tried not to stare, but that was so much easier said than done. I set my gaze on her neck, avoided looking down, and ordered my mind to focus. But did I really need to do it? Even if I got her to speak up about her fears, what good would it do?

_She can get it off her chest and feel better in the long run._

I was surprised to find that Serana had unclasped the chest piece of my armor without me noticing. Before I could protest, she yanked my armor off, and let it clatter to the ground, leaving me in my armored breeches. Her hands made their way to my hair, and her lips to my neck. I bit back a groan as she left a trail of kisses leading to my collar bone.

"Serana," The vampire in question slid her fangs across the sensitive flesh of my neck, causing the authority in my voice to leave. Instead, it came out about as breathless as could be, and encouraged her all the more.

I gently took her arms and held them in front of me. Serana looked at me quizzically, but didn't speak.

"We need to talk." She looked all the more confused at this.

"There's always time to talk, Mikhael. I'm sure it can wait." Serana's arms snaked around me, and her lips went to my tingling neck yet again. I tried craning my head away from her hungry lips, but she was very persistent.

"This can't, Serana." I could hear a grunt of disagreement between kisses. The longer she kept it up, the more I felt my willpower draining. The fact that she was barely clothed and was pressing into me didn't help either.

Her hands reached the buckles and the clasps of my breeches. I grabbed her hands and held them up to my straight face. Under any other circumstances, I would gladly allow her to continue. But not tonight. Not when I needed to let her release that sadness she kept hidden.

"Damnit, Mikhael! What could possibly be the matter?" Serana hissed, her mood obviously ruined.

"You need to speak up. About your father." She avoided my gaze as I said this, and her frown deepened.

"There's nothing to talk about." Serana replied flatly.

"You shouldn't keep this all bottled up to yourself, Serana. It isn't good for you." She released an irritated grunt and freed her arms from my grip.

"What do you want me to say?" There was a moment of silence before she looked at me again, conflict on her face.

"Everything on your mind."

She sighed.

"I'm scared. Okay? Tomorrow we're going to the castle and we're killing my father! Isn't that fun?" She started off, dripping with sarcasm. "So maybe I'm upset that this is how it's going to end. I know he wants to control the sun. I know there's no redemption for him. I know, okay?"

Serana began pacing now. "But he's the only father I've ever known, even if we were never that close. I just want us to be a family again. You heard this in the Cairn and you're hearing it again. He means a lot to me, Mikhael. I know it's hard to picture, but before Molag Bal came into the picture, they were really good people."

Her teary eyes found my own. "Accepting his coming death at _our hands_ is like," she visibly gulped, and wiped at her eyes. "It's like accepting that I never really had a father. That there's never going to be a second chance. It means letting go of the hope that we can be a family like we used to."

I wrapped my arms her small figure, and she openly returned the embrace. "I know I _have_ to accept it, Mikhael. And I will. I just need some time."

"Then you had to come along!" She smacked my shoulder, causing me to only tighten the hug.

"You showed up and made me feel things I never thought I could feel for another person. You listened to me, and that alone is so much more than others have done for me throughout the years."

"We've only known each other for weeks and now I don't know what in Oblivion I'd do without you! You've just come to mean so _damn_ much to me. That's the other thing I'm afraid of."

Puzzled, I asked, "Afraid of caring for me?"

"No, you idiot. I'm scared of losing you. After everything we've been through, after you made me fall head over heels for you! Why do you think I was all over you all of a sudden? I don't think I can carry on if you don't make it out of the castle tomorrow." The last part came out muffled, due to her face being buried into the side of my neck.

"I don't want to lose you or my father, but I know if it comes down to it, I'd rather mourn him than you."

"Who says I'm not making it out alive tomorrow, anyway?" I smiled as I nudged her gently.

"I've killed the God of Destruction, Serana. I think I'm beyond death now." For this, I was slapped.

"Don't get cocky, Mikhael. Just... Just be careful tomorrow." Serana whispered, rubbing my cheek as she did.

"For you, always."

My answer seemed to satisfy Serana, because she removed herself from my chest and looked up at me. Her bright eyes were the calmest since the day I first laid eyes on her. And in that moment, I knew I made the right decision in bringing this up.

"We talked. Are you happy now?" Serana gave a small smile.

"Do you feel better?"

"A bit. Yeah"

"Then yes."

_A/N: Heeeeey guys. Sorry for the late update, things have been hectic over here. Aaaand they may get worse. But no worries. I will try to keep updates consistent._

_I hope the contents of this chapter make up for the lateness, be it Ollrod getting what was coming to him, or the ending scene. And I hope that last part played out well enough. Not the best at it, but I think I pulled it off pretty good. Tell me if you liked it :)_

_Next chapter's gonna be action packed._

_Have a good day, folks._


	11. It Comes to This

I was pacing back and forth, occasionally looking at the thick fog. The mist was covering our view of the castle since we arrived at the beach. The good thing was that the obscured vision worked both ways. We couldn't see their defenses and they couldn't see our approach. This is also why I didn't simply clear the skies with my Thu'um. Isran and I agreed it was better to both be blind than both be exposed. Serana stood to the side, anxiously rubbing her arm and shifting her weight from one foot to the other. My pacing was probably just making her more nervous, but I couldn't help it.

As I walked, I idly slit off the fingertips of my gloves. The past week of being a vampire, my nails grew and sharpened, and I wanted to be able to use them if I found myself unarmed.

I quickly sidestepped to avoid a pair of Isran's men rushing forward, their hands full. The hunters were working in pairs, unloading the boats from the wagons and moving them to the beach to prepare for the assault. The reason for my unease was Tullius' lack of reply. We arrived at the beach on time, as the sun reached its highest point in the sky. This only added to my downcast mood. I irritably pulled on my cloth hood in an effort hide from the damned sun.

Most of the boats were already laid out in a V-shaped formation, ready to proceed. Isran looked just about ready to disassemble the carriages to build a large raft to accommodate the trolls and the bowmen.

A gentle pair of hands stopped me from taking another step. The gentle hands were paired with a kind face. Serana had a hand on my arm to stop my movement, and another on my face. She ran her hand along the scarred flesh soothingly, "Mikhael, you're just going to get yourself more worked up by pacing. Let's get under the shade over there."

Serana motioned towards a couple of trees not far from where we stood. It was tempting, but my simply not going to rest.

"What if the bird didn't make it to Tullius?" I groaned.

Serana frowned before replying, "Those things are resilient. I'm sure the General's boat will be here any minute now."

I was silent, save for a frustrated sigh. A loud thud and a glance in its direction confirmed that the main attack force was ready to mount their respective boats. Isran signaled for the men to double time, and they complied. The hunters hopped aboard their boats, readying their weapons and preparing the oars as they did. Isran slowly trudged through the shallow water to make it to the boat at the lead. The bulky Redguard heaved himself onto the small watercraft and turned to me, Serana, and the remaining attackers.

"This is problematic." He didn't yell, but his voice cut through the thick air easily. Isran's stoic face was about as straight as the day I first met him. I didn't blame him. This wasn't good.

"Let's give it a little more time!" I called over. Isran gave an irritated nod before turning to face the thick fog ahead. I approached Sorine, Gunmar, and their respective platoons. "Can everyone take a few steps back?"

Hesitantly, Gunmar and Sorine moved their troops and their trolls backwards to give me a decent amount of space. I clapped my hands together and rubbed them fervently. Before Serana could question my actions, I shouted.

"DURNEHVIIR!"

A great sphere of mystical energy materialized before us. The purplish flames eventually died down to reveal the mighty Durnehviir, in the flesh. The hunters and the trolls gave out various roars and screams. Some were from shock and fear, the others were of awe.

I raised my hands and ordered, "Do not harm him, my friends! He will aid us in this battle."

Gunmar struggled to keep the trolls controlled, as he himself was staring at the undead dragon, eyes wide with fear as he took a protective step to move in front of Sorine. The bowmen reluctantly lowered their crossbows, but looked wary. I couldn't see the other hunters from where I stood, but they were surely as alert as the bowmen and the trolls.

"Greetings, Qahnaarin." The great dragon craned his head to the rear to look at the Dawnguard, frightened out of their wits at the sight of him. Durnehviir turned back to me, his head tilted slightly in a showing of curiosity. "Why have you summoned me here today?"

Before I could respond, he eagerly cut in. "Ah! The final word Soul Tear. You have kept your side of the bargain, now let me fulfill mine. Feel the last word of Soul Tearing within yourself. Zol, the un-life that results when a soul is imprisoned in dead flesh."

I sighed, and let the undead dragon's words wash over me as the word "Zol" echoed in my ears, and flashed into my vision. I had to blink a few times to clear the burning words from my vision. I needed to remember that for later.

"My thanks, Durnehviir. But, I have a task for you today. I require you to protect the boats while we make our approach to the island across the water." I paused, and allowed Durnehviir to eagerly nod before I continued.

"From there, I want you to aid us in the coming battle. Destroy every vampire you see with extreme prejudice. All of them but Serana and I."

Durnehviir unfolded his wings, and pushed off the ground with his powerful hind legs. His wings flapped, and I had to cover my face to stop sand and dirt from getting into my eyes. "You have my wing and my fang at your disposal, Dovahkiin."

With a great battle roar that made all those around me cringe, he took off and soared higher up to the clouds, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

It was hardly a second later when a sizeable vessel came into view, sails fluttering with the powerful wind, the Imperial flag raised high. The sails folded and the ship came to a slow stop close to the beach.

From here, I could see several archers lining the sides of the boat. One man stood out in particular. He was clad in heavy Imperial armor, and stood with an air of authority about him.

"Reporting for duty, Legate Mikhael!" A grin made its way to my face as the bulky captain saluted me. I returned the salute before ordering Gunmar and Sorine to move their platoons into the boat. As soon as they began mobilizing, I made my way towards Isran's boat.

Serana's hand slipped into mine as we trudged through the shallow water. "I told you they'd get here in no time." She teased with a wink.

* * *

"Durnehviir, the catapults!" I yelled over the whistling sound of their artillery looming ever closer. Our wards and fire bolts were only so useful against the massive chunks of rock they launched at us.

The undead dragon's mighty roar echoed across the span of water, but I couldn't catch a glimpse of him. In moments, another roar rang out, followed by cries of pain. We were moving at a decent pace, and were going to land in no time.

"Ward!" Isran yelled. I dropped the oar, and pulled Serana closer with one hand, using the other to cast a ward. Isran, Serana, and Agmaer raised their hands to join my ward. The massive rock collided against our magical shield and shattered on impact, sending smaller bits and pieces everywhere. We took to the oars once again, and rowed as fast as we could.

The beachhead came into view and I could see the ruined catapults lining the shoreline. Durnehviir made short work of them. Speaking of Durnehviir, he made another pass and swooped low, grabbing a vampire with his sharp talons as he did.

Naturally, there were vampires already racing towards the beach to meet us head on. The gargoyles didn't move an inch, but were undoubtedly going to snap into action when we got closer.

We reached the shore, just as the first vampire lunged forward. I swung my oar, and easily smacked him in the face, grounding him immediately. I dropped the oar and drew my blades, my companions quickly following my lead. Our assailant sprang from the water, only to receive a blade through the neck. I twisted the dagger roughly and effectively cut his neck open. Another charged forward, and was impaled by Serana's icicles. I finished him off with a quick slash at the neck.

It was going to be a matter of time before the bowmen and the trolls landed and flanked the Volkihar. Until that happened, we needed to hit them with everything we got. Isran lead the rush, warhammer held high to crush anyone in his way.

The Dawnguard charged forward, and turned the beach into an all out skirmish. Serana followed close behind as I made my way into the thick of things. One particular burly vampire lunged at me with his mace. I blocked the attack with my sword, and cut him across the neck with my dagger. He took a step back and grabbed the wound, an angry look on his face. I gathered that this was a half blood.

I didn't know much about vampires, but the way I saw it, there were basically three types. The purebloods, the half bloods, and the blooded. The purebloods are Serana, Valerica, and Harkon. The half bloods are those blooded by purebloods. The blooded are simply those who receive vampirism through Sanguinare Vampiris or from half bloods. The simplest differentiation between the three is how much power and resilience to pain one has.

I ducked and weaved to avoid the flurry of blows the vampire dealt. As I raised my blade to block another attack, a large ice spike struck the side of his head, causing him to crumple down into a bloody heap.

I gave Serana a grateful nod before turning back to the incoming vampires. I spent minutes cutting down vampire after vampire, thrall after thrall, but their numbers hardly seemed to change. Harkon had raised a small army after he discovered our attack force.

It didn't take long until I was singled out by a small pack of vampires. There were six of them surrounding me, all unarmed. They were all definitely half bloods. Serana's help would have been much appreciated, except she was nowhere to be found at the moment. I lost sight of her when things got out of hand. But I knew she was fine. I felt it in my bones.

They were circling around me, hissing like feral animals. They licked their lips and bared their fangs in a show of intimidation, their eyes screaming murder.

Deciding I wasn't going to be the victim, I snapped forward to stab the closest vampire. I was easily sidestepped, and sensed the incoming attack. I turned around quickly, and just barely met her kick. I swung my leg to block the kick and knock her off balance. I skewered her as I regained my footing. She hissed at me through bloody teeth, and I had to lean back to avoid her scratches. A grunt behind me alerted me to my second attacker. I quickly finished her off before ducking.

I swung around, sword extended to cut. I found my mark at the vampire's midsection, but the stab with my dagger was caught easily. Sharp claws raked across my face and shoved me back. I stumbled into another attacker. The vampire kicked at my hand and knocked the Blade of Woe free from my grip. He lunged with an elbow, and I craned my head to avoid it as I met him with a stab. With a sick grin, the vampire grabbed hold of the sword in his abdomen with one hand and my neck with the other. He threw me off and separated me from my weapon.

It was now that it dawned on me that this was their goal, and why they were confident enough to attack unarmed. A vampire pounced forward, and I raised my arms to guard. The attack didn't land, instead, a masked Dawnguard hunter intercepted the attack. The vampire howled in irritation and ripped the man's windpipe out in a single swift, bloody motion. I didn't let my fellow hunter's distraction go to waste. I lunged forward and grabbed the vampire's neck. Before he could make a move to break free, I dug my claws into his neck, and tore his neck open. The cry of pain went unnoticed as I was coated in his blood.

The sound of shuffling feet had me quickly move to the side. The move was ineffective, and I received a sharp quick to the back of my thigh. I spun around to face my attacker, flexing my claws and aggressively hissing at the vampire. He lifted his leg high and kicked me in the chest, sending me stumbling backwards. Another sharp pang shot into my thigh as I received another kick. Before I could be attacked again, I kicked backwards and shattered my attacker's kneecap.

I turned to face another attacker, only to get kicked by another one. I growled at the pain and fought it. With each kick I received to the hamstring, it became increasingly difficult to walk, let alone maneuver around my enemies. I deflected an incoming attack, and spun around to elbow him in the back of the head. The attack connected, and he was sent reeling forward. I grabbed him before he could step further away.

I dug my fangs into his neck, and realized that a vampire's blood was about the worst taste imaginable. I tore the flesh clean from his neck and dealt another powerful strike to the back of his head. My elbow effectively caused his skull to cave in.

Another kick was dealt to the back of my thigh, and I was sent to the ground. Another vampire landed on me, an evil glint in her eye as she raised her claws to strike. An Elven dagger dug into my attacker's back, and was used as leverage to tear her head straight off her shoulders. There stood Serana, dripping in blood, concern and anger evident on her beautiful face.

I didn't have time to thank her, nor did she have time to fend off the rest of the vampires. A loud battle horn pierced through the sounds of the skirmish around us. Serana took it as her cue to drop to the ground, and onto me. She held me protectively, and I saw her smiling in spite of the bloody conflict around us.

Dozens of bolts and arrows alike came sailing in at deadly speeds. The two remaining half bloods were killed on the spot, along with numerous other vampires in the surrounding area. We slowly helped each other up as the battle trolls suddenly made their appearance. The frost troll took the lead, grabbing vampires as he went and using them as clubs.

The trolls poured out from around the corner, wiping out the vampires like it was nothing but child's play. Several soft explosions rang out, and a swarm of gargoyles met the trolls head on. They tackled each other, biting, clawing, and kicking as they went.

"We need to push inward!" I heard Isran call from somewhere in the middle of the fray. I staggered to the side with much difficulty, and craned my head over to see the massive iron gate blocking the front door. Serana caught me when I lost my footing, and gave me a stern look, as a message of caution. She grabbed my leg with a firm hand.

"What-" She focused on her restoration, and I felt the bruised muscles healing. Serana smiled softly before cupping my cheek with her hand.

"Let's do this, Mikhael. Together?"

"Always." I leaned forward and kissed her, savoring the sweet, bloody taste of her tender lips. I pulled away first, eliciting a soft disgruntled moan from Serana.

The trolls pounded on the gate to no avail. Even if they could tear the gate down, the gargoyles were proving to be very troublesome. The trolls were swinging their arms about wildly in an attempt to swat the flying gargoyles.

"Mikhael, watch out!" I turned around to find a small swarm of gargoyles rushing forward and breakneck speed. I grabbed at my sheathes, to find that my weapons were still discarded on the ground. Serana shoved me aside, and the gargoyles grabbed her by the shoulders before taking to the air.

"Serana!" She drew her dagger, and stabbed at the stony beasts. They wouldn't relent, that much was evident.

"Go and find my father!" Was all she yelled as the gargoyles smashed into one of the castle's windows.

Talos. Mara. Akatosh, Sithis, Sheogorath! Damn them! Damn them all!

I growled deeply and recovered my weapons. I needed to get to her. I needed to get to her fast. Damn Harkon and damn the Dawnguard. I needed to find Serana. Need to find her fast. She was my top priority.

"DURNEHVIIR!" I pointed at the great iron gate. The undead dragon swooped in low and landed on the castle's wall. With a fearsome roar, he sent the trolls back, and got himself some room. Durnehviir stomped on the gate with his powerful hind legs. It did the trick, and the gate buckled to his strength and crashed down, sending out dust and rubble. Durnehviir leapt off the wall and circled around the castle, attacking the other gargoyles as he went.

I charged forward, shoving the hunters out of my way as I ran.

I kicked the front door open.

"SERANA!"

Things were just becoming a great big blur. I raced in, slashing and cutting down the vampires as I went. Isran was following close behind, keeping the others off my back as I ran about. I hardly knew where I was going. I was just running. But at the same time, there was direction in my movement. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew it was the right way.

I leapt off the balcony and to the main dining hall. A vampire cushioned my fall, and my sword pierced his throat as I landed. I dashed across the hall, weaving past swords and axes, jumping over tables and chairs. Isran skidded to a stop in the middle of the hall. He was surrounded.

He shot me a look and gave me a firm nod. Without further delay, I raced up the stairs, only stopping to behead a vampire hot on my heels. I came to a halt in front of a pair of large doors. Just standing outside, I could feel the heavy atmosphere in the next room. Whatever was in there was definitely no good.

Harkon was undoubtedly beyond these doors.

_This is it, then._

I rammed the doors open with my shoulder, and saw a flash of blue.

Pain. Blood. Confusion.

I struggled to shake myself to lucidity. I was stuck. Pinned against the door. I looked at the offending object to find a large ice spike, red with my blood.

Surely enough, a large man was making his way towards me. Further into the room was a slimmer figure chained to a chair.

"How marvelous. You bring your little group of vampire hunters to my home, and in doing so, you brought back my daughter." Harkon's cold, calculating voice cut through the thick air. My discarded weapons were just out of reach.

"And you, my daughter's little pet, little Mikhael. Little, no longer mortal, half blood Mikhael." He growled as he got closer. "You brought me Auriel's Bow. The prophecy is as good as complete now, is it not?"

I looked past Harkon's menacing glare, and at Serana, whose fear probably matched my own. I wanted to tell her not to worry, but my throat felt dry and my tongue limp. I needed to act. Fast.

I tried to muster the strength to speak, but the damned spike definitely hit something major.

"I'm going to kill her, and she is going to be the catalyst that ignites the future of the vampire. A perfect world. A world without a sun to hamper our progress in earning our rightful place as the dominant species." The evil glint in Harkon's eyes were as chilling as when I first met him.

He abruptly turned around to look at Serana in her shackles. "You, Serana." He began in a snarl. "You've taken everything I've provided for you and thrown it all away for this..."

Harkon's bony hand shook in my direction. "This pathetic excuse for a half blooded vampire."

Serana's sudden ferocity startled me. Gone was the fear and the doubt. All that remained was anger. "Provided for me?! Are you insane? You've destroyed our family. You've killed other vampires. All over some prophecy that we barely understand."

"No more. I'm done with you. You will not harm him any further." I could see her straining against her chains. Her silver chains. Which is why she couldn't break them. Serana shook with rage, and her eyes burned with a fire that would have scared the wits out of me had she directed them at me.

Harkon scoffed at his daughter before turning to me again. He stared with a look of slight amusement as I tried and failed to reach for my discarded weapons. He approached me once again and slid the weapons further away with his foot.

"It appears I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before she'd return with hatred in her heart." Harkon tilted his head to the side when I did not respond. The only sound I could produce was a low gurgling sound.

"So what was the plan, _Mikhael?_" He spat my name as if it were the worst curse known to man. "What happens after you've slain me? As if you can in your condition, I might add."

Harkon gripped the bloody spike in his hand and leaned in close. I tensed even more at the proximity between us. He was just out of biting range.

"Is Valerica your next target?" He trailed off for a moment. "Is Serana?"

I found my voice.

"I would _never _harm Serana. She's too important to me." It came out as a low growl, and had Harkon baring his teeth in anger.

"Then my daughter is truly lost. She died the moment she accepted a mortal- a half blood _swine_ into her life."

I remained silent.

"Now for the Bow." Harkon reached forward, and grabbed the top of the Bow with one hand. "I'll be sure to leave you here to bleed out. Let you watch the life drain from Serana's eyes. A fitting punishment for the both of you for opposing me."

Harkon raised a clawed hand to strike me across the face. He only relented when Serana shouted. "No!"

He looked behind him for a moment, but it was all I needed.

"FUS RO DAH!"

Harkon's eyes widened in recognition a moment before the unrelenting force struck him and sent him flying across the room, which I belatedly realized was a cathedral to Molag Bal. The Volkihar clan's leader struck the wall hard, creating a sizeable indentation in the wall. I gripped the icicle hard. I felt breathless. But I needed to go on.

"DURNEHVIIR!" I called out, burning my throat in the process.

With a flash, Durnehviir smashed his head through the wall opposite me, just barely missing Harkon. "Dovahkiin!"

Harkon snapped into action and drew his blade. He pounced onto the dragon's neck, but not before Durnehviir sent a concentrate jet of frost in Serana's direction. She quickly snapped her chains with a swift yank, and darted to me.

Durnehviir shook about wildly, widening the hole he created and successfully shaking Harkon off. "FOH KRAH DIIIIIIIN"

Harkon was engulfed in an ice cold jet of frost. Durnehviir bought just enough time for me.

Serana snapped the icicle in half before slowly pulling me free from the wall. She stomped on my dagger's hilt, sending it flipping into the air. Serana effortlessly caught it with one hand, and slipped it into my own.

"You need this, Mikhael."

I was too weak to protest, and did not quite understand what she planned on accomplishing. I let myself lean into her, as she cradled me with one arm. My back began pulsing strongly, and I could feel Serana's restoration magic at work. But I could only guess how much she could do.

She took the Blade of Woe and used it to cut into her side, not releasing my hand as she did. I heard her hiss at the burn the dagger's drain caused.

Serana was giving me her life essence.

"No..." I mumbled weakly.

"I won't kill myself doing this, damn it. I'm just giving you a little boost." And surely enough the combination of her healing hands and the blade's drain was doing wonders. I was no longer critical, but I needed much more time and medical help. As long as I stayed in the shadows, my vampiric blood was going to try and repair what it could.

"I'll... I'll keep his thralls off your back. I- I can't... He... Just do your thing, love." Serana muttered weakly before shoving me towards her father. Harkon broke free from the small ice prison Durnehviir created. He looked livid.

Durnehviir made his exit shortly ago, presumably to assist the rest of the Dawnguard.

Harkon's long sword dripped with blood, and he eyed me hungrily. He snapped his fingers, and gargoyles began jolting to life from the shadows. They instantly went for Serana, who was weakened, yet still strong enough to fight twice as well as any warrior.

"Just you and me, _Mikhael_." Harkon growled with distaste. "When you showed up on my doorstep, a voice whispered to kill you."

I remained silent and kept my blades up in defense.

"I should have listened to it!" He lunged and struck twice with great speed, draining me as he did. I struggled to fight the symptoms of the drain life spell and parried the attack. I leapt forward with my dagger. Harkon sidestepped the attack, and moved to skewer me. I swung my sword and deflected his blade, spinning on my heel to face him.

I slashed diagonally with both blades, and Harkon blocked easily. He used the blades as leverage to elbow me in the face, causing me to stumble back, but not before I kicked him in the abdomen.

We spent countless minutes parrying each other's attacks, inflicting nothing more than scratches. Serana was preoccupied with the gargoyles and skeletons that were of endless supply. It became evident after a while that the swordfight was becoming little more than a game of stamina.

I kicked Harkon in the midsection, sending him stumbling a few steps back. He abruptly dropped his sword and unstrapped his gauntlets.

"No more tools and toys. We fight like the beasts do." In moments, Harkon stood in a cotton shirt and his armored breeches, no more no less. I growled quietly but complied and agreed to his terms. Maybe it was inherent Nord honor that did it. I couldn't be sure.

Harkon rushed forward and swung his leg to the side. I dropped my elbow low to meet the attack, and struck with a punch. Harkon smacked my fist away and spun around me. I narrowly ducked his elbow and impulsively dug my fangs into his side.

He roared in pain and raked his claws across my face, successfully detaching me from his side. He attacked again, aiming for my neck. I plucked his hands off the moment they reached the soft flesh of my neck. I delivered a headbutt, eliciting a crack from Harkon's nose.

I sent him into a rage. Harkon unleashed a fearsome bellow as he grabbed me roughly by the nape and rammed his knee into my chest repeatedly. I could do little more than hold my hands in front of my chest as my ribcage cracked up.

He shoved me backwards and snarled, flexing his claws as he did. I struck with several jabs, with Harkon deflecting them as I hoped. After the last jab, I struck wide with my right hand and raked my sharp nails across his face. I received a powerful kick for my effort, and staggered back.

Harkon took a great leap in my direction, and I raised my foot and delivered a kick of my own, which successfully grounded him. I quickly mounted Harkon, and struck his face repeatedly. The pounding didn't last long, and Harkon quickly reversed the roles, forcing me to block and duck his powerful blows. With a lucky strike, I knocked Harkon off of me and onto his back. We both scrambled to our feet and were at the ready in an instant.

I grew frustrated. I wanted to end this. I wanted to kill him. I needed to kill him.

"Enough games!" I growled. "We fight like how our kind was meant to fight!"

Perhaps I shouldn't have let my tempter get to me. Harkon's grin shook me to the bone, and in a flash, he stood before me as a vampire lord. His skin was green, and every inch of him was covered in thick muscles. His head resembled that of a bat, and he had wings to boot.

Mustering up what energy I had left, I let my bones and muscles snap and shift, rearranging into the structure of that of the vampire lord.

It was my first transformation.

Harkon sailed across the ground and into me, his sharp talons digging into my green skin. We exchanged blows, scratching each other and turning our green skin red with slick blood. We rolled about on the ground, scratching, kicking and biting. It was a quarter of an hour before I had to acknowledge that I was really no match for Harkon in this form, and in this state.

I didn't know how to fight like this and I should have stuck to my hands.

Numerous cuts ran along my body, including a deep gash in my stomach. If it got worse, my insides would be staining the ground.

Harkon drove my face into the ground hard. I was thankful for this vampiric form's resilience to damage. But of course, it could only do so much for me. I was weak. I was bloody. I was dying. I could just barely hear Serana crying my name when she saw him giving me a beating.

I had to kill him. I needed to.

I only had so much energy left.

I needed to do it. For the Dawnguard. For Skyrim. For Serana.

I snapped back into my human form in a flash, much to Harkon's surprise.

"DURNEHVIIR, ZU BOLOG FAH HIN AHMIK!" I shouted with all my might. The undead dragon appeared in a flash. His great horns smashed through the walls, flooding the cathedral with light. Durnehviir's massive maw wrapped around Harkon. I grabbed hold of Auriel's Bow and the single Sun hallowed arrow I carried. I needed to finish him.

A moment later, Durnehviir recoiled, roaring in pain. The vampire lord used his discarded blade to impale Durnehviir through the jaw, at the cost of a wing and a large chunk of his shoulder.

Harkon weakly took a step towards me, his feral growl not losing its vigor. Durnehviir's jaws of death clamped around Harkon's midsection, but he appeared unfazed.

"If I die, I take you with me!" Harkon roared as he raised a green, boney hand in my direction.

It all happened at once. Durnehviir wildly shook his head about in an effort to rip Harkon in half. Harkon jammed his long blade through Durnehviir's skull. A swarm of bats rammed into my back and sent me toppling over the edge along with Harkon. Serana dived and failed to catch me before I fell over the edge. She just barely avoided falling off herself.

Her cries chilled me to the bone as we fell. I wanted to tell her I was going to be fine. I wanted to hold her in my arms and let her know that I did the deed, and everything was going to be okay. But at this rate, the odds of even seeing her face one last time seemed slim.

The wind was deafening, and my eyes grew teary as I tried to keep them open.

"Apologies, Dovahkiin!" Durnehviir uttered before he faded out with a purple flash. He returned to the Soul Cairn.

Fumbling with the bow, I aimed the enchanted arrow at the sun, as Harkon tried and failed to stop me. I believed this could be considered overkill. But with vampires, purebloods no less, just how far does one have to go to kill one?

I let the arrow sail off to the sun and licked my lips for what could be my final shout.

"FEIM!"

I couldn't utter the whole shout. The effort alone might have killed me on the spot. But at least for now, for what time I had before I hit the ground, I was completely and utterly immortal. It feels cold, being ethereal. It feels like you stop existing for a period of time. Like you're there, yet you aren't.

"MIKHAEL!" Harkon roared as the sun's magically enhanced rays ate him whole. He was burned alive. Disintegrated to the last bit of bone and ash as we fell.

And with that, the tale of Harkon, child of the night, enemy of the day, was at an end.

As the ground loomed ever closer, a single face was burned into my fading vision, and an unspoken promise of eternal companionship was left haunting me.

_A/N: Aaaaand we're almost at the end._

_I have mostly laid out the plot for my next story, and will have that out soon enough, once Keeper (or Keepr as when I first uploaded this) is finished._

_Please review, fave, and follow, my good friends. :)_


	12. The Whisper, the Quill, and the Hand

A stone table and two stone chairs sat in the otherwise empty room. I couldn't see into the corners of the room. It would have been pitch black in here had it not been for the lone candle on the stone table. I could not begin to guess where I was or how I arrived here. I looked myself over to find myself void of all injury. It was as if I had never been harmed in all my time of living. My face was as smooth and undamaged as the day I was born.

_Serana_.

My eyes widened greatly as the sound of her cries reached my ears. She was crying for me.

"Serana?!" I called. Her sobs continued on, and I could feel my chest constricting and as my gut shook violently. I needed to find her. I needed to get out of here.

A smooth Nordic voice cut through my panic. It was unmistakably calm and reserved. My eyes darted to the source, and I found a man in dark robes, much like those of the Greybeards, sitting on the stone chair further away from me.

"Sit down, Mikhael." The man was about my age. His long black hair was eased back, making him look tough yet regal. His beard only adding to the look. He looked familiar, and I felt like I was supposed to know who this man was.

I eyed the man suspiciously and slowly approached the chair across him and took my seat. The man lowered his hands onto the table and interlocked them before me.

"We met once, Mikhael. In Sovngarde."

The realization hit me.

"Jurgen Windcaller." I muttered quietly as I looked at him in awe. One of the most powerful masters of the Voice sitting across me.

"But you're-" The master could probably read my mind.

"Dead? Yes, I am. But right now, sitting here, death is irrelevant." His smooth voice was calming, and I began relaxing into the cold stone chair as much as I could. I remained silent and allowed him to continue.

"You wonder where we are, correct?" I nodded, "We are in your mind. You are alive... Yet it is only but a ghostly whisper of your mighty voice that remains."

I frowned, which Jurgen noticed, as he motioned for me to speak.

"If this is all a creation of my mind, then-"

"Ah, I said we are in your mind, child. Not that your mind created this scenario. Our meeting is not a dream. I came on my own will, not on the will of your subconscious." Jurgen allowed the words to sink in, and I slowly nodded in understanding. Perhaps not so much in understanding as acceptance, for how can one truly understand the power of those who have ascended to Sovngarde?

"What happened to the Dawnguard?" Odds were that the master was watching over the battle. Why would he have just taken sudden interest in me otherwise?

"The battle is done and the vampires are routed. Your leader is well and so is your lover, albeit shaken by your unconsciousness." Relief flooded through me like a burst dam. They were all probably on the way back to the fort.

"You mentioned my voice being reduced to a whisper. What do you mean?"

Jurgen leaned back into his chair and eyed me before he replied.

"You recall the Way of the Voice, yes? What do they emphasize?"

Memories came to me. From the moment Jarl Balgruuf explained who the Greybeards were, to the moment Arngeir and his brethren formally recognized me as Dovahkiin.

"Peace and balance through the Thu'um, for the glory of the Divines." My reply earned a pleased smile from Jurgen as he nodded gently.

"You, Mikhael, Dragonborn, have used the voice as you saw fit. For this, we have no quarrels. You served Skyrim valiantly and have saved her from peril time and time again. While we do not take pleasure in using the Thu'um for battle, necessity has a way of changing things. For you, for the Dragonborn, we accept and tolerate the use of the Voice for battle."

Jurgen paused and sighed deeply, like a huge weight rested on his shoulders. "You abused the Thu'um in battle, Mikhael. While we can overlook this because of necessity, your body cannot. It takes countless years to shout and shout without weariness catching up to you, Dragonborn or not. The body, man or mer, is simply not meant to handle such repetitive power. I fear that your overuse of the Voice may have permanently damaged your speech."

I sat in stunned silence. I perfectly understood what Jurgen said, but I just couldn't accept it.

How was I supposed to carry on as a mute? An _immortal _mute at that. No more shouting for as long as I lived. What kind of Dragonborn has no voice? No more _talking_ for as long as I lived. How was Serana going to cope with this? How was I going to whisper into her ear how much I loved her? How was I going to comfort her when she grew sad?

How was I supposed to promise my unending love to her?

Taking a deep gulp, I replied, my eyes locked on the flickering candle.

"This is why you came to see me?"

"You are the Dragonborn, Mikhael, one of the most prominent users of the Thu'um. I felt obliged to warn you of your condition before you wake up. You wielded our power with great might, and have not steered off the path of honor. To suddenly lose not only the Thu'um, but also your speech, is a grave matter. While you may still meditate and reflect on the Way of the Voice, no longer can you practice it. I wished to thank you, on behalf of all the Greybeards. For your just use of the Voice."

Jurgen stood up abruptly, suddenly looking bothered. "My time here is coming to a close, Mikhael. You are regaining consciousness."

"The best of luck to you and your future endeavors, Mikhael." I took Jurgen's outstretched hand and allowed him to pull me in for an embrace.

With a pat on the back, I was released. "My thanks."

The candle flickered, casting an ominous shadow on the solemn master's face. Jurgen stepped back just as the candle slowly burned out.

"Sky above, Voice within."

* * *

Shapes of various sorts and sized slowly blurred into my vision. The shapes began to form faces, as the sound of panicking whispers reached my ears. The third thing to come back was the great pain running along my midsection and the back of my head.

"Silence, he's waking!" A gruff voice hissed.

The voice came from the face to my right. Isran. I made out various cuts and bruises along the man's tired face. I rolled my head to the side to see an unfamiliar hunter bandaging the large gash on my stomach. I realized that Isran looked so damned tired because he was healing me. His glowing hands pressed against my head and my stomach were evidence to this.

I struggled to crane my head past the two to see where I was and who else was in the room.

I was in the medical wing of Fort Dawnguard. The room was unused until today. I could spot several hunters resting on the cots, with other hunters leaning over them. A slender figure clad in tattered vampiric armor sat on a nearby chair, clearly asleep.

I shot upright into a sitting position. My mouth opened and tried to form her name. My throat cried out in pain and not a sound was produced.

_Jurgen was right._

Isran frowned as he forced me to lie down once again. He glanced over his shoulder at the snoozing vampire. "Serana!" He barked.

She jolted awake, eyes locked onto Isran's. And then onto mine.

The chair clattered to the ground, and she was by my side in a second. Serana wrapped me in a tight embrace, and I returned it for all I was worth. The pain in my gut as I sat up was ignored. It was irrelevant. All that mattered was that we were both safe. I had her and nothing else mattered.

"I was so worried." Serana croaked into my neck. She probably did some crying, judging by how unsteady her voice was. I couldn't blame her. I would have been a mess if the roles were reversed.

"How are you feeling?" She slowly released her tight grip on me so she could look me over.

_Better, now that you're here._

Several scratches and bruises marred her face, and probably the rest of her body. Her eyes looked glassy, and would probably be tinted red were she human. Dark circles were engraved under her eyes, indicating she hadn't been sleeping much. How long was I out? I could only smile at Serana and wish I had my voice. Isran and the other hunter exchanged confused looks at my silence. Serana's smile slowly faltered as concern overwrote all other emotions.

"What's wrong?" Her brows furrowed in worry, her hand slowly coming up to hold my face. I gently took her hand and held it with both of my own. I shook my head slowly, much to the confusion of the three present.

I turned Serana's hand over to show her palm. I looked at Isran, and made a motion of writing on her palm. Isran raised a brow in question but complied nonetheless. He removed his hands from my person, causing the pain to suddenly double. Isran tiredly made his way to a desk on the other side of the room. The hunter to my side eyed his bandaging for a moment before deeming it complete and taking a seat on a nearby chair.

Isran returned, handing me a roll of paper and a quill. Isran and Serana anxiously came closer to see what I was about to write.

Taking the quill and rolling it between my fingers, I eased the paper onto the cot. My handwriting was terrible. They'd have to just bear with it.

_I cannot speak._

Serana looked at me, confusion in her eyes, begging me to elaborate. Isran looked equally bewildered.

_I overused my shouts. My body couldn't handle it._

Isran turned away immediately and left the room. His head clicked and he knew his presence was going to bother Serana should she get emotional. He turned to me briefly as he left, giving me a nod on the way out.

Serana stuttered for a moment, trying to grasp the situation. "You're..."

_Mute._

She held a hand over her mouth, which formed a shocked 'o'. Her other hand gripped mine tightly. "Mikhael. This is..."

_It could be worse._

I smiled through my own doubt and hoped she believed me.

_We have each other. Skyrim is no longer in danger. This couldn't get better._

The look Serana wore indicated she thought otherwise, but she did not voice this. She remained quiet, and settled for playing with my hand for a moment, leaving me to stare at the paper. While she was occupied with my free hand, probably lost in her own thoughts, I began slowly writing mine down.

_Lighten up, my dear. The sun is safe and we live to see another day. Our story with the Dawnguard ends here, but _our_ story has just begun. We have the rest of our eternal lives together. My newfound disability will not change things in the slightest and will not stop us from loving one another. I'll make sure it won't._

_You look tired. How about we both get some much needed rest?_

I gently tugged on Serana's sleeve to snap her back to reality. She blinked several times before looking at the parchment for a few moments, a smile growing on her face as time went by.

She looked up at me. "You're right."

_Goodnight, love._

I grinned at Serana, and she returned it happily.

She took the paper and the quill and set them onto the small bedside table. Serana quickly placed a peck on my lips before standing up. "Goodnight, Mikhael."

Serana winked as she left, and it felt so like her to tease me before leaving. A brief kiss instead of a full one. I had half a mind to force myself to stand up and chase her down.

Despite the thirst I felt for her lips, I was content. Lack of speech aside, all was well. I essentially just completed my last adventure. Maybe not the absolute last, but definitely the last for the foreseeable future. Until the day comes where I have to pick my blades up once again, I could relax. I could relax and be with her.

Were my blades left at the castle?

And my armor?

Divines. I'll just have to ask Isran tomorrow.

"Mikhael?" The voice came from the young hunter who tended to my wounds. He was seated on the chair Serana occupied when I woke up. He was as young as Agmaer. A fresh faced boy with long black hair slicked backwards rather neatly.

He stared at me for a moment, as if waiting for me to reply verbally. A look of recognition passed over his face, which he quickly buried into his hand. Setting his shame aside, he stood up and approached the bed slowly.

"I was supposed to say something, then I forgot about the whole mute thing, even though what I was supposed to say was about that in the first place. That happens a lot. Sometimes I can be sl-"

I raised a finger to silence the talkative Nord. He grinned sheepishly, quickly retrieved his chair, dragged it closer to the bed, and sat down. He took the quill and the roll of paper, raising them for me to take. I complied, eyeing him suspiciously as I did.

The young hunter raised one pinky and drew a shape in the air. He curled his hand to indicate a hole. He showed me his closed fist. He raised his middle and index finger, allowing them to split. He presented his fist once again, this time the thumb pressed against his knuckles.

I stared at him for a long moment before it clicked, and with the click came a wide grin. I took the quill and scribbled enthusiastically.

_You can teach me to sign?_

The lad returned my grin. "I can teach you and _your girl_ to sign! Well, maybe she just needs to know how to read sign."

This was perfect. This man was a godsend.

_What is your name?_

"I signed you my name. It's Josva."

_I will soon owe you a couple hundred bottles of mead, Josva. Thank you._

Josva pointed at me before motioning towards himself as if asking someone to come closer.

"You're welcome."

I was already giddy at the thought of communicating without my terrible handwriting.

_How do I say her name without spelling it out?_

"Well..." Josva trailed off and crossed one leg over the other. He leaned on his leg and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Names are a personal sort of thing. You don't really pick your own, but another person has to give it to you, and you have to agree with them."

Experimentally, I raised my left hand up slightly. With my right index and middle fingers, I delicately grazed my wrist, right by the arteries. I twirled my fingers and brought them to my puckered lips

"_Perfect!_" Josva shouted in whisper to avoid disturbing the other occupants of the medical wing.

* * *

The weather was fair and the night was as beautiful as ever. Almost as beautiful as the vampire I held in my arms at this moment. I was close to a full recovery. Sometimes stretching a little too much would cause pain. Sometimes standing for too long brought dizziness. All in all, recovery was pretty good. Josva had been teaching us sign for a couple of weeks. Sometimes he'd teach us together, sometimes separately. It was tedious to learn, but at the same time it felt oh so good. Sometimes Serana and I still struggled with the new form of communication, but for the most part, it was smooth sailing.

Serana got more talkative as the weeks went by, too. I didn't mind one bit. I could listen to her beautiful voice all day.

"You'll never guess what Isran told me today."

I gently pulled Serana a little closer and removed my hands from her waist so I could sign. My index struck my open palm.

_What?_

She chuckled slightly, "He thanked me. The big guy just blocked my path to talk to me... He gave his apologies for my _loss, _and told me that if there was anything in the fort I needed, I just had to ask."

I would have snorted in amusement at this. Old Isran was going soft on us.

No. He was getting smart.

"He thanked me for all the help I've been to you and the rest of the Dawnguard. There was the mumble of 'I was wrong about you at the start.' That really took the cake." Serana laughed softly. "Of course I had to accept all of this and thank him. I'm glad he said all that, really. Makes me feel safer when walking the halls alone."

"Naturally, I smiled at him all toothy to make him uncomfortable."

"Then he goes, 'Stop that!', and that's when I start laughing at his face."

I grinned, my body shaking in silent laughter.

"I left before he got mad. I don't know if he really would've. He looked amused and irritated at the same time."

I sighed contently, allowing my breath to fan her neck. Sometimes, I'd still open my mouth to speak, only to forget that speech was a thing of the past.

We settled into a comfortable silence, leaving us both with much time to reflect on the past few weeks.

Not long ago, she asked me if I would get a cure.

The vampiric blood in my system completely washed away the remnants of my beast blood, and I've slept like a rock ever since I turned. The powers at my disposal along with the greatly enhanced strength and agility were quite a thing to have. On the other hand, the sun plagued me daily and caused me to weaken greatly. Then there was the feeding. I needed to feed to become less weak. Needed to feed to retain my usual appearance. Not feeding for a certain time caused my eyes to glow more violently. It caused my skin to pale even more, and my fangs would threaten to poke out of my mouth. These drew attention from guards and townsfolk. Serana smuggled bottles of blood to me in the recovery wing so I didn't go hungry. But now I'd have to actively feed. And avoid overdoing it and drinking a person dry.

Then there was the immortality that my vampiric blood brought. I would live on for thousands of years and my body would not age a day. I'd keep living. _I'd keep living with her by my side_. If I found a cure for the vampirism, I'd only have so many years left in me. My dragon soul would probably keep me from expiring a little longer than most Nords but it wouldn't make me immortal.

If I become a mortal again, _I would leave her with no one when I die of old age. And I promised her that that would never happen_. How would she react if I got a cure? She valued her own vampirism greatly, that much I knew. If I got cured, would I be able to convince her to get a cure? Would she even agree? She loves me. I know she does, and she would probably do it for me if I asked her to do it.

But nights ago, as I looked at those bright, fiery eyes, that stunned me whenever I saw them, that captivated me the moment I met her, and that waited for my answer, I knew that I wanted nothing more than to see those beautiful eyes every morning I wake up each day for the rest of my immortal life. Then I knew my answer. It came to me and I knew it would never change.

It was the same answer that came to me when I first picked vampirism over a weak soul upon entering the Soul Cairn.

I was remaining as a vampire for as long as I lived.

For her.

_No,_ I told her. I was going to adjust to life.

But still she worried. She worried I was going to find the vampirism as a burden. She was worried I was going to get a cure and stop loving her because she was a vampire and I was a mortal again. This was of course absurd, but I understood where she was coming from. You just love someone so much, you worry that every little thing might cause you to lose them. I had to reassure her, of course. With sign, and with writing when sign failed me.

She looked so small and insecure in my arms that night. I wrote and wrote until she was finally content, and drifted off into sleep in my arms.

The peaceful silence lasted long enough, and I decided it was high time to break it. I opened my mouth and lowered my head to gently run my fangs across Serana's exposed neck, leaving a small red trail of delightfully agitated skin and causing her to shiver. Just like she did when she turned me. She released a stronger shudder as a slight moan escaped her lips when I planted a kiss on her neck. I then tightened my grip on her waist and allowed her to lean back more comfortably.

I was about to lower my chin to rest on her shoulder when she stopped staring out into the distance to look at me. A small genuine smile made its way to her lips and she clasped my hands around her waist, enjoying the closeness we were experiencing. The look she had seemed so bright, and I couldn't quite explain it. For the moment, I was just glad for the privacy we had.

Nobody to bug us.

No crazy ancient vampires, no Isran.

Nobody.

"Tell me you love me, honey." Her tone was sweet, playful, and positively filled with adoration. Her fiery, glowing orange eyes twinkled ever so slightly in the moonlight, and I don't think I've ever seen her more beautiful. I lowered my lips onto her own, saving the taste of her, and all that she was, never wanting to forget the feeling of intimacy in this perfect moment.

I slowly broke the kiss, eliciting a soft grunt from Serana. I gently pushed her forward and motioned for her to face me. She did as instructed so I could sign properly.

I raised a fist and slowly straightened the pinkie, the index, and then the thumb, grinning as I did. Serana slowly mimicked the motion, a faint pout on her features.

"You'd think something as sweet as 'I love you' would have a nicer sign." She muttered.

I held up a hand to stop her. She tilted her head in question.

I pointed at myself, closed my hands into soft fists and crossed them over my chest. I ended by pointing at her and putting on a sweet smile. This earned a quiet "Aw" from Serana.

"I like that..." Serana slowly mimicked the motion, but grabbed a hold of me instead of hugging the air. Her hand went to my face and traced the familiar pattern of scars like she always did. Her skin was soft against the roughness of the burn scars.

I raised a hand to stop her once again. My mind went back to my lesson with Josva. Serana didn't know what I planned on signing, but I hoped she could catch the meaning.

I pointed at myself, then at her, maintaining a pleasant smile as I did. I joined my hands together for a moment. Using my middle and index fingers, I created a circle in the air several times in the same pattern.

_Be mine. Forever._

I repeated the first part slowly.

"Us? Together?"

_Close enough._

I signed the second part, which she seemed to catch quickly.

"Forever?"

I nodded and took her hand. I repeated the whole motion again, this time holding her hand. As I finished making the circle, I pointed at her again. I kept my finger trained on her to indicate I was referring to her herself. I gently slid my two fingers across her wrist before taking them to my lips. I kissed the two fingers before lowering my hands to observe Serana's reaction.

"That's... Me? That's how you say my name?"

_Yes._

"I like it." Serana giggled softly and took both of my hands. "And the answer is yes."

Serana gently leaned forward to rest her forehead against mine, her hands soothingly caressing my own. I slowly withdrew one hand to sign.

_Forever?_

She smiled and retrieved my hand, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

"Forever."

_A/N: Hey! And so this is where we close the book, folks. It's been a fun ride. A bit of a short ride when I look at how many chapters I put out. But I sincerely hope you guys and girls have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. You've all been a wonderful audience. I'd like to especially thank those of you, you know who you are, who have been following and reading this since chapter 1. Your support is much appreciate, and gives me the drive to keep writing._

_Give me your parting comments, guys. :) One final review as Mikhael and Serana's story comes to a close._

_I'll have a new fic out one of these days. Not that sure on the title. It will most likely have the word Tyranny in it. The plot is original, and inspired by Bioshock: Infinite (Great game, recommend it to all of you). It follows its own plot for the most part, but starts up about halfway through Chapter 11 of Keeper. It will have alternate realities and shit. I think it'll be a fun ride for us all._

_I won't keep you waiting any longer. A huge thank you again, everybody. Have a good day. Cheers!_


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